San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Honduras has retreated considerably in its fight against coronavirus in the first month of 2021.
Just two months after a year since the pandemic hit the country, the number of infected, far from declining, increased in early January, according to reports from the National Risk Management System (Sinager).
By making a comparison of the number of infected people registered in Honduras during July 2020 (the month with the highest incidence of infections) with January 2021, it is possible to show the gap in which the mitigation of the deadly virus fell.
According to reports as of January 27, there were a total of 19,270 new ones infected with coronavirus in Honduras, while in July there were 22,457 registered, just 3,187 patients in difference.
In addition, compared to the average number of covid patients in Honduras in the last 10 months, January already exceeded this amount by almost 35%, according to official records.
Experts believe that this statistic will increase if Hondurans continue to relax with biosecurity measures and the authorities do not make the right determinations, in the ‘ point of reaching an “epidemiological tragedy” in a short time.
With this scenario, the arrival of the vaccine before the first half of 2021, could be very late, they say.
Failed mitigation
For Honduran scientist Marc Tulio Medina, mitigation measures to eradicate the virus have not been enough, in addition to other factors such as the relaxation of the population in the December holidays and the floods caused by Hurricanes Eta and Iota in particular in the northern part of Honduras.
“In Asian countries it has worked on virus removal not on mitigation and has had better results than in Europe and America that more attempts have been made to attack the virus already when it is acquired, this has generated a resurgence for New Year’s events, “the doctor analyzed.
In terms of deaths, the number of deaths in January already exceeded the average number of deaths during the 10 months of pandemic in 5%, About. To date they are registered more than 328 coronavirus deaths, when the monthly average was about 300.
In the week of January 24-27 alone, impact deaths of at least three doctors and nurses were reported in Honduras, a Sampedran artist and former World Cup footballer.
“Cases need to be monitored and there to generate isolation so that the virus does not continue to spread in the country and generate more infections and deaths,” Medina recommended.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Health, Roberto Cosenza, considers that the comparison of the two months is not right for the different moments that are being experienced, but added another phenomenon that worsens the contagion this year.
“In July 2020 the pandemic was just beginning,” while in the January 2021 figures “we are still receiving those infected by storms and also the December holidays where infect entire families, ”the doctor said.
To all the above factors, Cosenza adds the political activities that have already left several cases of infection in the first four weeks of 2021.
“Compared to previous months we still do not exceed the maximum peak, we will see in February how the cases are. The success is in biosecurity measures,” expressed the official.
unusual incidence
At the Central American level, Honduras it is the third most contagious country has confirmed in the first month of 2021, just below Panama with more than 60,000 infected and Costa Rica with more than 20,000.
However, doctors in public hospitals in the country say that the number of infected will increase considerably in the coming weeks.
“There are about 10,000 cases that are not counted with real-time PCR tests but with antigen tests along with immunological tests have been almost double the month of July,” says Dr. Carlos Umaña, president of the Association of Doctors of the Honduran Institute of Social Security (IHSS) in San Pedro Sula.
“We are confident that January has been worse in contagion than July 2020 because we have spent two weeks with public hospitals and the Social Security hospital saturated, which is not the case. we had lived in this pandemic, “he said.
Umaña considers Honduras to be is approaching an “epidemiological tragedy.”
Another alarming situation pointed out by the doctor, is that the virus is no longer preferring the elderly in Honduras.
“More than 50% of income by covid in the Social Security are people under 45 and is attacking a vulnerable population which are pregnant women in the third trimester and they are under 30 years old. This new strain is treating young people badly, polluting them and causing them worse symptoms such as pneumonia than goes from 5, 20 to 40% “.
remedy
In addition to the relaxation of the population, Honduran doctors consider that the Multisectoral Board of Honduras “has not wanted to control the mobility of people” and that is why the contagion has been triggered.
“The Medical College of Honduras (CMH) has requested it (Regulated traffic) because the virus travels with people. The contagion curve was never slowed down just to tell people to wear masks, people are irresponsible and need coercive measures, so it has been in almost every part of the world, “the vice president of doctors at the IHSS in San Pedro Sula.
“Doctors are predicting many deaths at home, people dying near triage and mortality in hospitals. The CMH is calling for 21 days of quarantine and conditioned circulation but it can start with the Sula Valley, not the whole country precisely,” he concluded.
So far, about 145,000 people have been infected by covid in Honduras since the beginning of the pandemic and about 3,600 people have died. 60,735 have recovered and beat the virus.
Hondurans are clinging to the arrival of the coronavirus vaccine expected for March of this year.
According to the authorities of the Extended Program of Immunizations (PAI), 5.7 million Hondurans are eligible to receive it.
The President of Honduras, Joan Orlando Hernández said this week that the first to be vaccinated in the country will be doctors and nurses in the front line in public hospitals and that it will be free.