President Danilo Medina has placed a doctor with 30 years in the Navy in charge of public health in Duarte province. Duarte has the highest number of deaths attributed to Covid-19. The doctor, Valery Sanchez Diaz, is an epidemiologist. Her rank in the Navy is the equivalent to that of a full colonel in the Army.
Dr. Sánchez Díaz is a graduate of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). A decorated officer, she has been the commandant of both Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata ports, as well as the director of the Naval Medical Health Corps.
The military was sent to San Francisco de Macorís after the population did not heed to the order to keep social distancing, the curfew and eliminate social gatherings. As a result, Army units were sent to the city and roadblocks set up at city accesses. With over 60 fatalities attributed to the disease, San Francisco is still a major center for continued infections.
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Diario Libre
20 April 2020