The health team of the Abinader administration has reason to feel good about themselves and reasons to be concerned people may let down their guard. The spread of Covid-19 in the Dominican Republic has declined significantly. For the Tuesday 29 September 2020 press conference, Health Minister Plutarco Arias spoke of 234 confirmed cases in Bulletin #194 and a positivity rate of 13.18% for the past four weeks. This compares to 32.41% positivity rate at the change of government on 16 August 2020.
Better still, active cases have declined to 22,801 as of the 28 September deadline. The active cases are 345 fewer than on the previous day. The active cases have been steadily declining.
Dr. Eddy Perez Then, spokesperson for Covid-19 at the Ministry, is concerned that the efforts to kickstart domestic tourism and the reducing of the curfew hours could result in a rebound of the disease.
Dr. Perez Then said that while the impact indexes are positive in recent weeks, they also show an increase in mobility of the population. He urged Dominicans to take the prevention measures seriously. “The use of masks, physical distancing and hygiene are those that have shown to be effective until a cure is found or a vaccine,” he said. “To keep the positive indexes we have seen over the past six weeks, all need to stick to these preventive measures,” he said.
He addressed the lax enforcement of health protocols evidenced in videos that circulated over the weekend on Dominicans vacationing over Mercedes Day long weekend. “If people do not comply with protocols, the measures will become more strict, said Dr. Perez. He said the tourism industry needs top recover, but people need to act responsibly. He said Dominicans are confronted by the same challenge as all countries around the world.
Deputy Minister Ivelisse Acosta attributed the better numbers to the proactivity of the health team. She said the Ministry, National Health System, Senasa medical plan, and Ministry of Defense have worked as a unit with neighborhood groups, university students and city governments to offer care early. She said the authorities are closely monitoring the increase in mobility and, if necessary restrictive measures could be promptly back in place.
Dr. Mario Lama, who is the head of the National Health System (SNS), said that only 15% of Covid-19 allotted beds are in use in the public health system. He said this is a major turnaround from the situation that was inherited six weeks ago at the change of government.
He said preventive actions include the distribution of 300,000 face masks at the country’s main toll roads, and another 300,000 will be delivered in National District city intersections. He said more than 15 public hospitals nationwide are now testing for the disease.
Lama announced the government is delivering RD$30 million in equipment to public hospitals to improve hospital care.
Dr. Santiago Hazim, director of Senasa, announced that 1.3 million low income persons had signed on to the free government medical plan. President Luis Abinader had announced from the start of his government the goal is to affiliate two million Dominicans so that there is universal medical coverage of all citizens in the country.
Rear Admiral Lee Ballester, who is in charge of the Ministry of Defense intelligence center (C5i) said that the government will enforce the curfew. He said the government now has the capacity to confirm validity of curfew circulation permits remotely. He said that the Police, Digesett traffic agents and the military are controlling circulation after hours and enforcing the measures. Ballester urged the population to back the measures that seek to avoid a rebound of the disease.
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Ministry of Public Health press conference
Hoy
29 September 2020