Paula galinsky
05/14/2021 7:45 PM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 05/14/2021 7:45 PM
Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital.
Friday April 16.
A nurse, who had come to work with a fever, swabs herself and tests positive.
They alert their close contacts and activate protocols.
A few days later, they began to be infected among the health personnel.
In total, they reach 25, of which 24 were immunized with two doses of Sputnik V. One of them is the infectologist Eduardo López, head of the Department of Medicine of that health center, a member of the expert committee that advises the President and a regular source for this chronicler on Covid 19 issues. Today, already recovered, he shares his experience with
Clarín.
“I started with a stuffy nose and muscle pain.
I did the rapid test and a PCR.
The two confirmed the diagnosis.
The result did not scare me, although I was concerned about the evolution, ”says López.
“After the first case, a doctor from the Pediatric Infectology residency tested positive.
A specialist from my team followed him and the fourth was me, ”López details.
It was Thursday, April 21, when he started with symptoms.
He took the test in the Gutiérrez Infectology area and went straight home.
"At
40 minutes
the result of the rapid method arrived:
detectable,
" he adds.
Until now, López, who is 75 years old, had not been infected.
He has long completed his Sputnik V vaccination schedule, as did his wife.
Today he assures that without those two doses his experience with the coronavirus would have been much worse.
"I have no doubts, because of my age and because my sample was analyzed and I was infected with the
Manaus
variant,
" he says.
The Gutiérrez Virology Laboratory, headed by Dr. Alicia Michensko, was in charge of the genomic sequencing of confirmed cases among health personnel.
The explanation that López finds for the string of infections is the
high transmissibility
of this variant.
“I am in the hospital all the time wearing a mask and with the windows open.
My office is on the second floor and Unit 9 is on the first.
The vast majority of infections occurred in those two sectors through which various professionals circulate ”, remarks the pediatric infectologist.
From this episode he draws several conclusions.
"On the one hand, that the Manaus variant is very contagious and, on the other, that one can be infected even if one is vaccinated," says López and asks to highlight another piece of information: "Of the 25 infected,
none needed hospitalization or oxygen
. it talks about the efficacy of the vaccine with the two doses against the serious disease that, in short, is the most important thing ”.
In Unit 9 there are pediatric patients who are immunosuppressed due to their underlying pathologies.
This means that they are considered high risk in case of contracting Covid 19. However, none of them were infected.
"This shows the care that health personnel have with their patients and, at the same time, how quickly and well the protocols were followed," continues López.
About his painting, he says that he was not afraid but he was worried about how it would evolve.
"I was with
telephone follow-up
from a doctor from Osde, Dr. Heredia, he treated me very well," he adds.
Always saturated well
It was handled with an oximeter and thermometer.
He always sat down well, at 97/98 (you have to do it at 96 or more) and he says that he followed all the control advice that he has been sharing with this medium since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Among them, the chair test.
That is to say, sit and stand for a minute and only afterwards measure the saturation to check how much it gives in movement, ”he reviews.
He had no fever.
Only nasal congestion, dysphonia and muscle pain.
He also lost his sense of smell, although he says he has already recovered it.
He spent 10 days in isolation.
During that time, he did not share a room or bathroom with Ada, his wife.
She was not infected.
"Luckily, he had two swabs that were negative," adds López.
"On the 14th day of the beginning of the symptoms I returned to my work. The rest of the team also rejoined. It was a scare but we are all fine. I feel perfect like the rest of my teammates," he closes.
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