People seem to be forgetful of why they are being asked to wear masks and keep physical distancing. Covid-19 Bulletin #608 reports 862 cases, down from 1,000 for the first time after seven consecutive days over 1,000, positivity is dropping and active cases stable. But as has happened all around the world, letting down the guard is equal to making room for more Covid cases.
The media reports that life is almost back to normal in the DR and there is concern all the mingling and gathering will spike more cases.
Meanwhile, the newly elected president of the Dominican Medical Association, Dr. Senen Caba stresses that 88% of those hospitalized in intensive care units for Covid have not been vaccinated for the disease.
The government reports a nationwide vaccination coverage of 62%, when the country has vaccine stocks to cover 100% and foreigners. The government has sufficient vaccines to innoculate the entire population with the two doses. There are extensive stocks of Pfizer vaccines for boosters.
The government is betting on people getting vaccinated and then getting the booster so that the new normalcy can be maintained. The reported cases will be light and not require hospitalization.
Dr. Jose Joaquín Puello, director of the country’s largest medical facility, Ciudad Sanitaria, recommends vaccination crews to go house by house to ensure more people are vaccinated.
Meanwhile, protocols for shows and sports are encouraging people to mask and keep distance, but the will to stick to the preventive measures seems to be waning, especially in people that say they have the Pfizer or two Sinovac + Pfizer vaccines, and others that feel confident a dose of Invermectin will check the effects of the disease early on.
Abroad, there is a surge in cases in Europe, affecting Holland, Germany and Russia, where lockdowns are back. Hospitalizations and deaths have been on the rise. Measures such as early closing of bars, restaurants and supermarkets are back, and professional sports matches will now have to be played in empty stadiums. People are again being urged to work from home as much as possible.
The WHO’s Europe chief Hans Kluge has expressed concern and has blamed the rise in cases on a combination of insufficient vaccination rates and the relaxation of preventative measures such as mask-wearing and physical distancing. He is blaming insufficient vaccination for the new surges. The rate of vaccination has slowed across the continent in recent months. While some 80% of people in Spain has the two doses, in Germany only 66%. In Russia only 32% had the two doses as of October 2021. Kluge also blamed a relaxation of public health measures for rising infections in the WHO’s European region.
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Diario Libre
18 November 2021