Amid a surge in confirmed infections of Covid-19 and increases in hospitalizations reminiscent of the worst months of last year, there is consensus among the scientific community that the government is running out of time to act and prevent figures from being recorded in the coming weeks and months. compromise the hospital system and result in more than a dozen deaths daily due to the dangerous virus.
“It’s no secret that this Holy Week has unfortunately not been a week of reflection for many, it has been more of a holiday week, and the videos that have circulated here show that we will probably be seeing many more contagions in the weeks to come. What we want is for the work that has been done with the executive orders that have come out since January, under this new administration, not to be lost, “he said. Marcos López Casillas, Biochemist and member of the Scientific coalition conformed by the governor Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia.
After Easter, there are still seven days of validity in the current executive order to address the health emergency and both the Scientific Coalition and the School Surveillance System of the Department of Health they have already expressed in writing the need to strengthen restrictions in the short term.
However, on Saturday night, the designated Secretary of Health, Carlos Mellado, Ruled out returning, for two weeks, exclusively to virtual teaching, despite the recommendation of the Surveillance System for the Education Sector of the agency in a document that incorporated data until April 1st.
The prefecture of the Department of Health has also not commented on the recommendations outlined by the Scientific Coalition on April 2, and which include additional restrictions on the capacity of restaurants, strictly observe health measures in shopping malls, extend the schedule curfew and implement aggressive campaigns on the risks of traveling, as well as the need to continue basic prevention practices, such as the use of masks. The report warns that, based on the number of cases currently being detected, the death toll in the coming weeks could be around 16 per day.
“We haven’t seen the expected response from the government (in the reports). One of the things we need to understand is that while there are additional systems to the ones we had last year, such as the vaccination process that is in place and protocols implemented, surveillance systems are created precisely to give the warning voice and make recommendations that can prevent us from entering a delicate situation.However, it would seem that what we use is a counting system and colors to see if we are right or wrong and do nothing about it, “said the doctor in Public Health Marysel Pagán.
For the past few weeks, the increase in Covid-19 cases and, consequently, hospitalizations and the use of intensive care units and ventilators has become apparent, Governor Pierluisi has refused to push for specific measures, insisting that the numbers are still far from the peak that was recorded last December.
On the 10th of this month, Puerto Rico woke up with 657 people hospitalized with Covid-19, while yesterday the Department of Health reported the occupation of 257 beds, along with 56 adults in intensive care and another 30 breathing through a ventilator. On March 19, however, the figures were 138, 17 and 21, respectively.
At the same time, the rate of positivity, or the percentage of diagnostic tests that identify the presence of viruses, has doubled, from less than 5% to about 10%, considered an alarming level.
The president of the College of Physicians, Victor Ramos, Warned that the approach of the first executive, to translate into public policy, opens the door for us to continue to experience the increase in figures and, in the worst case, see a repetition of what happened in the last quarter of 2020.
“In September, the medical groups said yes, we are low, but the curve is going up, which was the primary curve. As the numbers were low they made the biggest opening in September and that led us in November and December.We can’t wait to be at 600 (hospitalized) to say we’re going to close, because we’re certainly going to go here if no action is taken now.It needs to educate the components of government, which are not from the medical or scientific sector “, noted the pediatrician.
In an interview with Subway, Ramos was cautious when thinking about the hypothetical closure of schools that have resumed face-to-face education, recalling that groups of paediatricians encourage children and young people to go to kindergartens that have the appropriate protocols.
“We are concerned that, regardless of the tracking system recommendations, the school protocol itself states that if one of the levels (indicators) is red (critical), all schools must be closed, so it would eventually end up going through as “Ramos said.
“We need to set, in the midst of the upheaval, priorities of what we want to leave open, whether schools or other places. The numbers are there, where people are infecting themselves. Shopping centers rose to third place. , rose from 6.7% to 13.8% people (infected) who mentioned that they were in a restaurant before the positive, who are largely not employees, but diners who take off the mask, “added the doctor .
López Casillas, meanwhile, noted that the Scientific Coalition, in presenting its report, did not have data on hand to suggest that schools could represent a source of infection and was therefore not recommended in the document. a total or partial closure of open schools.
“If school monitoring system mates indicate that their data is what they are throwing away, it certainly needs to be taken into account. There are other jurisdictions that for less than that seek and close schools and do containment. I believe that if it is shown that the process that is taking place in schools, at least in some, is becoming one that can be dangerous, a decision must be made to make this containment and see how we can improve it, “he said. the research manager of the Puerto Rico Public Health Trust.
Pagán, for his part, emphasized that one should not start from the premise that the school population is safe, either because they are minors who are typically not complicated in the event of infection. se, or employees who, according to Health, were already mostly vaccinated.
“The new variants, which the same secretary has said are in Puerto Rico and there is community transmission, do affect minors in a different way than we had primarily observed. This statement that minors may not be affected it is not as true (as before). School environments not only have minors, but (it must be considered) this family context of this minor, this teacher and this father, who interact, “Pagán stressed. recalling that vaccination against Covid-19 was not established as a requirement for teachers and non-teachers to return to the workplace and that the effect of available vaccines against some virus variants, such as the one identified, is uncertain. in Brazil.