07/20/2020 - 9:06
- Clarín.com
- Society
The City of Buenos Aires modified the protocol for patients with coronavirus in the last few hours and now lightly ill patients will be discharged after 10 days without a new test.
It was reported this Monday by the Buenos Aires Minister of Health, Fernán Quirós, who clarified that "it has been shown that after day 10 the patient is no longer contagious ."
On the other hand, the official affirmed that "looking for herd immunity is a wrong strategy" in the fight against the coronavirus, although "probably between 12 and 14 percent" of the people of Buenos Aires have antibodies against the disease.
"There has been some confusion," Quirós clarified at a press conference, presenting a new health report on the situation of Covid-19 in the City.
" Our view is that seeking herd immunity is a wrong strategy . It is the experience in the world and it is impossible to sustain it. It has been shown that this is the case in this disease," he said.
In any case, he clarified, "one can observe that in most of the world's great cities, such as Europe's, the Chinese, those of Southeast Asia or New York, they have had a clear curve of ascent and then descent."
"There is a fairly clear coincidence in all cities: when between 10 and 20% of the citizens of the entire city reach antibodies, the curve usually goes down. I am not trying to explain a cause of immunity, but what happened in several places "he added.
And he continued with the Buenos Aires case: "In neighborhoods like 31, the positivity is 50%, because the distance is more difficult. In other neighborhoods, such as the more affluent, the positivity is much lower and the curve is still rising. calculates that for each positive PCR test there are approximately 10 more. In neighborhood 31 it gave us 1 to 9. And when one multiplies by 10 the number of infected people in the City, the estimate is 12 or 14% of the CABA. have antibodies . "
That does not mean, he clarified, "that we have completed the disease, but it is an indicator that we have a mature curve, such as the R being close to 1." The worst is over? "No, because we have many cases per day. But the curve is mature and it is not so much the effort that we have ahead . Surely in a few weeks we can have a different look."
Friend's Day Celebrations
On the other hand, the Buenosairean official emphasized the importance of individual responsibility to comply with isolation and distancing, especially this Monday during the celebrations for Friend's Day.
"Nothing that I say is going to modify people's behavior, but rather the capacity for reflection of each one. From the individual side we must ask ourselves what we are willing to do to make the pandemic pass. Each one has to take the appropriate care, because every time we fail we put our health and that of others at risk, "he explained.
And he added, in that sense: "It is important to make an effort to finish lowering the cases in the City. It is not only not to get together, but to dialogue with those who intend to do so. Every family or friend who comes across another person in closed places it is a potential possibility of spreading to the rest of the City. "
Regarding the data, Quirós revealed that 45,261 total cases of coronavirus were reached in the City , with 16,540 discharges and 874 deaths, which makes a 1.93% fatality.
"The curve shows that the number of daily cases has been stable for several weeks," he said.
Asked about the statements of Claudio Belocopitt, owner of Swiss Medical, about the eventual collapse of the intensive care bed system, Quirós explained that in public health "we have 400 beds of which 280 are occupied; and the private system is close 70 percent average occupancy, although it is increasing. "
"What Belocopitt is describing is the need for people to accompany us and become aware of care. There is a certain spirit that the disease is over , that we are going to open everything and that we are going to meet friends on the Day of the Friend ... and it seems to me that you are trying to strengthen the concept that it is not over yet, that we need to be responsible to take care of ourselves beyond what we consider not necessary, "he concluded.
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