03/04/2020 - 15:36
- Clarín.com
- World
Chile confirmed on Wednesday its second case of coronavirus and began coordinating actions to deal with the epidemic with other countries in South America. The patient is the wife of the first infected in the country, a 33-year-old doctor with whom she had traveled in Southeast Asia.
"Indeed , the second case has been confirmed in our country, " said Health Minister Jaime Mañalich, who said that, like her husband, the woman is in good health and in isolation at her home in the town from San Javier, about 350 km south of Santiago.
"She is completely healthy," the minister added. The woman felt the first slight symptoms while she was still traveling, Manalich explained. Both arrived in Chile on February 25, and a week later the man also began to feel the symptoms quite mildly.
As a result of the couple's interactions before the diagnosis was confirmed, the Ministry of Health keeps 82 people under observation , added the Mañalich.
The minister participated on Wednesday in a videoconference meeting with his peers from the countries that make up the Forum for Progress of South America (Prosur), composed of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay and Peru, in The Chilean Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera also participated.
Chile, which assumes the pro tempore presidency of this new group of countries born in replacement of Unasur, organized this first coordination meeting in order to monitor the progress of the disease in South America and coordinate action measures to contain the disease.
"This virus is a hemispheric problem and requires collective treatment," said Foreign Minister Ribera. "It's not just about containing (the virus) but about producing the least possible damage to the economies," he added.
Until now, Latin America had registered cases of COVID-19 in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
Source: AFP
