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Myth or reality: do masks protect against coronaviruses? 1:34
(CNN Spanish) - The Minister of Health of Ecuador, Catalina Andramuño, confirmed on Saturday the first case of coronavirus in the country in the coastal city of Guayaquil.
The patient, a 70-year-old woman, is in intensive care and with a reserved prognosis in a hospital destined to attend cases of coronavirus, where she continues under epidemiological follow-up, Andramuño said during a press conference.
He added that the patient is of Ecuadorian origin resident in Spain and that he entered Ecuador on February 14 on a direct flight Madrid to Guayaquil without presenting symptoms of the disease.
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According to the minister, the patient began to show signs associated with respiratory conditions and later she was diagnosed with contagion through a test at the Public Health Research Institute.
The minister lamented the fact that "the measures did not prevent the virus from entering" the country and insisted that "now we have to strengthen prevention and health measures." For his part, Alfredo Bruno, a technical expert on influenza, said that "the country has experience in handling events of international importance such as respiratory viruses." He also noted that Ecuador has reagents, medical personnel and the infrastructure necessary to handle the situation.
Press conference Report # COVID19 || "The @opsoms declared the coronavirus an international Public Health emergency, and as has happened in other countries, in Ecuador we already have the first confirmed case of #Coronavirus or # COVID19", @CataAndramuno, Minister of Health. pic.twitter.com/Xe5PMelzUo
- Health Ecuador (@Salud_Ec) February 29, 2020
Through his Twitter account, President Lenin Moreno said he is following the situation closely, calling for calm and emphasizing that the nation "has experts in the field."
I follow closely the @Salud_Ec reports on the first case of coronavirus in our country. We have experts in the field and a health system that will handle these cases. It is important to remain calm and follow the recommendations to reduce the risks of infection.
- Lenín Moreno (@Lenin) February 29, 2020
The vice minister of health care, Julio López, insisted that at the time of his arrival the patient was asymptomatic and that “no type of control had detected any symptoms, because he did not present them”.
The authorities indicated that attempts are made to identify at least 80 people who were in contact with the woman. For now, no contact has symptoms, they added.
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coronavirusEcuador