A leading Dominican infections specialist, Dr. Jesus Feris Iglesias, urges the population not to be alarmed by the arrival of the Covid-19 coronavirus. He said the disease is not as contagious or lethal as other viruses. He said the Dominican Republic complies with the International Health Regulations (IHR).
In an interview with Hoy newspaper, Dr. Feris Iglesias said that for the disease to be transmitted, people need to be less than six feet apart. He says measles is more contagious.
He explained that 80% of coronavirus cases in China were like a simple flu and that mortality in that country is 3.2%, while in Europe it is 0.59%.
“Already in China there are fewer new cases than cured people, therefore we think the epidemic in China has vanished and the cases in Europe should be controlled,” said the doctor.
He said press coverage has been too alarming. He said it is not in proportion with the influenza epidemic that appears every year from fall to spring, which, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this year has infected about 20 million people and killed 20,000 in the US alone.
Feris Iglesias said he does not fully understand why the Dominican population is more concerned about the new coronavirus, when the country is affected by an outbreak of the seasonal influenza.
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Hoy
4 March 2020