President George M. Weah has submitted to the House of Representatives for approval US$2 million from the draft national budget as emergency Coronavirus response funds to assist with the fight against the deadly disease. This amount, according to the President’s letter will be used for the enforcement of the health and security regulations and protocols in confronting the new COVID-19 variant. The President’s communication was read in open session on Thursday, June 24, 2021 during the 43rd day sitting of the 4th Session of the 54th Legislature.
“Dear Mr. Speaker: Recently, I was informed about an alarming increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Liberia, resulting from a new strain of the virus. According to the Minister of Health, as of June 17, 2021, Liberia had 2,862 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, with 95 confirmed health and 12 suspected cases,” the President’s letter read.
The President informed members of the Legislature that it is alarming to note that since the third wave of the virus began, from the 16th of May to the 15th of June, 2021, there has been a peak of 256 cases. According to President Weah, this new variant is even deadlier than the strains experienced during the previous outbreaks.
He emphasized that the Minister of Health has informed his office that hospitals are presently full with people experiencing breathing difficulties, and there were 50 patients in the treatment unit, 33 of whom were severely ill. The Chief Executive also informed the Legislature that 67,437 persons have taken the first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine in Liberia.
“Honorable Speaker, this is far more alarming than a year ago, when we were experiencing our first wave. I have already convened an emergency cabinet meeting to review the full scale of this concerning the situation, and seek an appropriate plan of action to be adopted by the government to address this threatening situation. We cannot therefore wait until all of our people die. We must therefore act and act now.”
Following the reading of the President’s communication, a motion was made by Representative Sampson Weah, Sinoe County’s district #2, to forward the communication to the Committee on Ways, Means and Finance to act appropriately.