The director of the Department of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Ronald Skewes reported during the Wednesday, 1 September 2021 Covid-19 press conference that 9 cases of Covid-19 Mu variant were identified in May 2021 circulating in the Dominican Republic. In May there was a spike in cases of Covid-19 that subsequently has been controlled. The Ministry says that 94 cases of Gamma variant have been identified here. The Gamma variant from Brazil is the most prevalent.
Dr. Skewes says the Mu variant was identified circulating in the southwestern provinces of Azua, Barahona, Bahoruco. Also in Greater Santo Domingo and La Vega, in the center of the country. But that after that time, variant sequencing tests have not again identified the variant.
The World Health Organization said yesterday that the Mu variant was first identified in Colombia but has since been confirmed in at least 39 countries. The WHO says that the Mu variant has mutations that have the potential to evade immunity provided by a previous Covid-19 infection or vaccination.
The Ministry of Public Health closely monitors the new variants and their impact in the Dominican Republic as curfew restrictions are reduced to a minimum. As of 2 August 2021, the National Dr. Defilló Lab has sequencing capacity to determine the variants that are circulating in the country for timely control of future outbreaks. The Ministry of Public Health on 31 August 2021 says that Gamma (Brazil) is the prevalent variant in circulation. Additional testing is still required to identify if the Delta variant is in circulation. The Ministry says unvaccinated young people are driving the spread of the disease.
Covid-19 curfew was lifted in the National District and La Altagracia province on 9 August 2021. More than two weeks after the lifting of curfew in these municipalities, there has not yet been a spike in cases yet the declines in active cases and positivity have been replaced by a slow upward trend. The Ministry of Public Health is closely monitoring the situation now that circulation restrictions are being revoked.
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Z101 Digital
DR1 News
2 September 2021