Rise In COVID Cases Should Not Be Taken Lightly, Says Experts

Because of the pattern they are seeing in the people they serve, epidemiologists are warning the public that El Salvador is likely to enter the fifth phase of covid-19.

"Based on the patients I've examined, I've seen such a significant rise," said infectologist Jorge Panameño. "This, in my viewpoint and from an epidemiological standpoint, implies that the epidemiological contour joined the acceleration process about 48 hours ago, and we will most likely be observing the fifth rising tide of covid-19 in El Salvador in the upcoming days."

"The situation had improved after the omicron (covid-19 variety) infection that started in late December and ended here between the end of January and the first week of February," said Iván Solano Leiva, an infectologist. "However, during the last two weeks, I've noticed an increase in therapy sessions, with an average of at least four cases per day; because we haven't lost any, they are being treated effectively, but we must be extra cautious due to this consistent increase in the number of cases."

Medical experts believe it is their obligation to keep the public informed, and they deplore that the government keeps stocks in this sort of information on controlling covid, making it difficult to present an honest view of what's going on.

"We must recall that the pandemic has not completely vanished; it still exists; we must maintain precautions, and with influenza, the suggestion is to get vaccinated against the infection since it can develop into pneumonia and kill us," says the expert. There are considerably more than a million people in El Salvador who remain unvaccinated, and we don't understand what their situation is; these individuals are still at risk of contracting the disease in a dramatic or damaging way."

"There are far more than a million people without immunization in El Salvador, and we don't know what their condition is; these folks are still vulnerable to developing the illness in a drastic or serious manner; so, as the number of sick patients rises, there is a danger that all these people who are not fully immunized and have more risks will be reached," Panamanian said. Because the Health System has remained silent, I hereby urge the general public to exercise caution," Panameno said.

"There is no herd or communal immunity," Jorge Panameño said, adding that "each form of covid has the ability to bypass the defenses established by the vaccination."

Influenza Pandemic

Physicians also warn about pandemic outbreaks, a virus that, if not properly treated, can become difficult and even lethal.

"We must not remember that the epidemic has not entirely disappeared, there it is, we must keep safeguards and with the flu, the advice is to get a vaccination against the virus since it can turn into pneumonia and destroy us," Solano Leiva stated.

"Influenza type A is widespread, and there is a risk of co-infection with other infections," Panameño warned.

On a global scale, China's National Health Commission announced on Friday the discovery of 96 new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections, 71 of which were due to local infection.

The bulk (39) of these illnesses were reported in Shanghai, which 2 months ago became the heart of the Asian country's epidemics and where many of the country's 26 million residents are still confined.

China, which has a strict "zero-tolerance" policy for the new coronavirus, is experiencing a wave of breakouts due to the omicron form, which has resulted in unprecedented numbers of illnesses since the pandemic began in the first half of 2020.

On Friday, Panama reported 3,678 new Covid-19 diagnoses and 5 deaths to its total of 847,375 proven illnesses and 8,244 deaths in the Central American area.