Although the positivity rate and the contagions of Covid-19 have stabilized in the last two weeks, the advancement of the vaccination process and greater movement restrictions on this population that still refuses to inoculate may be needed to ensure that indicators begin to decline and the hospital system is protected. of an overload.
“Current hospitalizations and deaths reflect (the infections of) two or three weeks ago. So you won’t see the plateau until two or three weeks from now,” the president of the College of Physicians, Victor Ramos, Which, however, was optimistic that, in previous waves, the stabilization of infections has been a harbinger of a subsequent reduction.
Between August 12 and 18, the country averaged about nine deaths a day. The deaths, as has happened since the beginning of the year, are concentrated in the unvaccinated population, to the point that, of the 67 deaths that the Department of Health registering between 15 and 21 August, 56 corresponded to people who had not received any dose of the drug.
The average number of confirmed infections, which on August 14 had an average of 600 diaries, had dropped to 555 by August 18, although cases of unprocessed or recorded evidence could still be added. However, hospitalizations have shown no sustained stabilization, reaching 531 on August 20, before falling to 511 on Saturday.
As of Aug. 14, the number of people hospitalized for Covid-19 — between adults and children — was 418, so there was an increase of 93 between the start and end of the week.
“One, we need to keep vaccinating. We’ve increased a lot in the last month with vaccination warrants and the rise. We’re in sixth place in the United States, which is very good. The rest is to follow the measures. security, ”Ramos said, recalling that the Delta variant, contrary to previous virus mutations, leaves a similar viral load on both vaccinated and unvaccinated, so that any infected person becomes a potential transmitter.
As of yesterday, with 472 adults hospitalized for Covid-19, the Department of Health reported that 63% of the hospital’s 6,908 beds were occupied. In the case of juvenile beds, 46% of the 1,276 were occupied, including 39 cases of Covid-19. The highest number of total hospitalizations for Covid-19 was recorded on December 10, 2020, with 657.
Among adults, 116 were in intensive care and 86 connected to a respirator, according to the latest Health report.
the epidemiologist angels Rodriguez He argued that by the time elapsed, those who were part of the first groups to be vaccinated — mostly older adults and health professionals — might have already lost some of their immunity, so he celebrated the start of the administration of a third dose, a stage that has already begun with high-risk patients and will soon be extended to the general population.
Rodriguez agreed with the measures taken by the executive administration Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia to require vaccination or, failing that, a negative test of Covid-19 in food and beverage establishments wishing to have 100% occupancy, considered high-risk places due to the fact that customers have to remove masks to consume . However, the infectologist opined that the government should go one step further in the context of the Delta variant.
“I think the schedule should be restricted as well. At a certain time it’s reasonable to tell people to go home. (In the wee hours of the morning) one is not thinking about protecting anyone or protecting oneself. oneself after four or five sticks.The precaution goes to just.We have a very delicate situation, with a variant that often escapes vaccine protection, a shorter incubation period and viral load a thousand times more higher than the other variants, “warned the former state epidemiologist.
Ramos, although he did not mention the re-imposition of a curfew schedule, did point out that there is room to further strengthen vaccination requirements, which already cover public employees and customers and workers in multiple commercial spaces, such as restaurants, barbershops, beauty salons, casinos and gyms, among others.
“We’re fine, but whatever it is to close the siege on non-vaccination I favor it. In March 2020 we had a complete ‘lockdown’, and only essential services were open and it was shown that this was what The rest is optional, though not unimportant.But all that was closed at the time I would require vaccination to enter and the employees (of these establishments), in addition to vaccination to the employees of the essential places, ”the pediatrician stressed.
In March 2020, when the former governor Wanda Vazquez decreeing an almost total closure for two weeks, only places such as gas stations, supermarkets, pharmacies and medical offices were opened to the public.
Until yesterday, the page of Covid-19 monitoring reflected that 70% of the population was totally or partially immunized against the virus, at the same time as 60% completed their vaccination series.