Irene Hartmann
07/05/2020 - 7:59
- Clarín.com
- Society
The second meaning of the SAR of the term " will " makes it clear why the health authorities are spending it begging the Argentines for a greater commitment to appease the advance of the coronavirus. It says: act in which "the volitional power admits or avoids a thing, wanting it, or abhorring and repugnant it ." Health sources assured that these two inclinations (adherence and rejection) are clearly seen in the DetectAr operations : while the swab is accepted by the majority, many "slip" when it comes to confessing their symptoms or the contact they made with cases positive. And most kick when they are notified that they will be transferred to an isolation center.
Clarín tried to quantify those cases. Are so many that they jeopardize the health strategy of the Government? And if not, why so much insistence (on Friday the 26th in the mouth of the President, Alberto Fernández; this Tuesday, from the head of the Buenos Aires government, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta) in pleading for the notification ?
“I don't know if it can be measured, but it happens quite often . Of those who have coronavirus symptoms and are detected by the system, I would say that 100% agree to be swabbed, except in some isolated cases that are afraid. But everything that implies isolation, mainly those who cannot isolate themselves inside their houses, would say that 90% try to turn the matter around , "they assured from the portfolio of the Health of the province of Buenos Aires, adding:" It is That is, those who suspect that they may be isolated in hotels or places of isolation , often avoid expressing symptoms . But the symptoms express themselves. "
Health personnel in a house-to-house test to detect coronavirus infections in Villa Azul, between Quilmes and Avellaneda. / EFE
The theme is transversal to all social sectors. The cause? The fear. But the issue is fear of what: “We find situations of this nature in both popular and middle-class and upper-class neighborhoods. Those with greater purchasing power omit to say that they are sick to avoid stigmatization . We realize that they passed the disease without having reported it, either by comments, by people who had a serological test and it became evident that they had had contact with the virus. On the other hand, in the lower classes they don't want to leave the house for security reasons . ”
Another source linked to the coordination of Health devices, also in Buenos Aires, agreed that it is common to see people who omit symptoms. And he clarified: “There is no hard data on this. Rather, it is a feeling that has to do with the stigmatization and violence that is generated in some places. ”
DetectAr operation in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo. Photo: Luciano Thieberger.
It seems minor, but it is a central issue: the coronavirus is invisible and we have been juggling since March to avoid making contact with it. But if some make the symptoms invisible ...
Tuck the dog
Within the Buenos Aires area, a source of Health was eloquent: “ People who draw the symptoms? And yes, there is. How many, I don't know. " That is why Clarín contacted Gabriel Battistella, undersecretary of Primary, Ambulatory and Community Care of the city of Buenos Aires, who among other tasks is in charge of DetectAr in the Buenos Aires radio, an operation with which the authorities look for cases of covid-19 actively.
Operative DetectAr, in search of new coronavirus infected, in the San Jorge neighborhood, Buenos Aires party of Tigre. / Telam
Speaking of active searches, a parenthesis. In Argentina, more and more sources of community transmission are tracked, yes, but speed is not usually our strength ... In fact, the country is among those that have least tested its population, although at this point the authorities justify themselves claiming that by "test" they mean "molecular test", and not "serological test" of antibodies, as in other countries.
But the figures are undeniable. Here, 8.03 tests are carried out for every 1,000 inhabitants , in line with the figures for Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. In Chile it is 58.6 per 1,000. In Uruguay, 19.09. In the United States, 97.3. In Spain, 74.22. In Finland, 44.38. The data is collected by the site Our World In Data.
Of the last two examples, it is striking that while they tested much more, the strategy was not so different from the local one: unlike in South Korea, for example, where the testing was massive and compulsive , in those countries the PCR carried out Mild cases depended and depend on the voluntary reporting of individuals. Similar to Argentina.
A doctor from the "Alberto Antranik Eurnekian" hospital in Ezeiza takes a nasopharyngeal sample to test for coronavirus. / AFP
And, continuing with the comparison, the local positivity rate is dramatically lower: 3.19 tests were performed for each confirmed case. In Spain, 81.04. In Finland 133.
A little flu
A low number of diagnostic tests (open debate that some relativize with understandable arguments such as " here the strategy is focused on" or " each country is adapted according to its resources ") overlap the "fans" with whom they are sometimes dealing with. on-call doctors, and the similar setback that, as can be seen, is happening to DetectAr personnel. "And ... the Costa Salguero thing was terrible, with those riots. Because who is going to want to go to a place like this? ”Asked a source from the sector who asked not to be named.
Returning to Battistella, it was very clear: “People who refuse to swab? There are some, but they are a minimum percentage. They don't even reach 5% ”. Instead, “ the negative symptoms occur more . Especially in middle class neighborhoods, "he said.
“90% of people have mild or no symptoms; They don't have a bad time with this disease ... a little sore throat, a little cough, but you can live a normal life. So, when you call them on the phone because they were designated as close contact, they tell you that they are fine, ”he said.
How much do these lies affect the Buenos Aires strategy of active search for infections? Battistella assured that not much: “On the phone it is one thing, but when you see them face to face you have more capacity to understand what is going on and go deep. You hear him cough and around there he says 'but it's mild', or 'it's a flu'. You see it… as a health professional, you realize if there is something more ”.
Buenos Aires government personnel, in house-to-house searches for coronavirus cases, within the framework of the DetectAr operation. Photo: Andrés D'Elia
According to Battistella, "in the United States they say to you ' Are you feverish? Stay a couple of days at your house and if you continue badly call us again '. And so they are. It is understandable that people are tired, distressed and uncertain. No It is known what will happen on July 17, but someone hiding a symptom at this time is clearly not the best and imposes a certain individualism . Hopefully the pandemic will leave us with something positive, a more community and solidarity sense. "
Fears and lies
To analyze these phenomena, the reflections of Martín Wainstein, a consulted professor of Social Psychology at the UBA, come in handy: “Fear is evident. The virus presents itself as a threat . People understand what is happening in countries that are worse, like Chile or Brazil, and that is scary. But there is another phenomenon: a good part of the population disbelieves from the political class . So, the State requests this effort and commitment, which is correct because, comparing us with other countries, it has been successful, but it creates a paradoxical effect because, as the epidemic is not as serious as in other places, many think: ' ¿ Is all this true ? ' ”
What is Coronavirus? How is it spread and what are its symptoms?
Watch the special"Health is a biological, psychological and social phenomenon," said Wainstein, and clarified: "The rulers put the accent on the medical model and see it only as biological. With the psychological they do not know what to do. Perhaps more communication is lacking. beyond the numerical parts of the press, in order to consider the effects of the uncertainty ”.
Because, he concluded, “everything is chaotic and uncertain and, in fact, it can be seen in terms of chaos theory , since the pandemic is not predictable . The rulers, the policy makers, could explain this more precisely. The mathematical model is fine, but it is like meteorology: enter any element randomly and it alters all results. So these days it is key if Juan and Rosa stay inside or if they cough another in the face. But nothing will really predict what comes next. " Let's deal with it.
ACE