It was apparent from his statements during the Tuesday, 11 May 2020 coronavirus press briefing that Public Health Minister Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas is not as informed as one would suppose he should be.
Dr. Sánchez Cárdenas had told reporters that the antibody tests carried out on residents in the La Cienaga slum area in Santo Domingo were not carried out by Ministry health workers. He said this was an operation by the National Health Service (SNS), accompanied by the Armed Forces. “The Ministry did not do that testing, we were not notified,” he explained. Originally it had been reported that 26 persons had tested positive in the barrio. But the next day when health care workers were back for a second round of tests, those people tested negative. “The Ministry did not participate in that operation. We are investigating those cases,” he said.
Likewise, Dr. Sánchez Cárdenas says the Ministry did not participate in diagnostic tests carried out in Villa Juana, another low-income area in the National District. Neither was he informed in time for the press briefing. A tweet by Dr. Roberto Ureña wrote: “Our barrios should be the principal focus of the containment efforts in this phase. Of 314 PCR tests carried out in Villa Juana, 40% tested positive SarsCov2. We are isolating and identifying the contacts. There is an urgent need to expand the effort.” The cardiologist said that he is working with the collaboration of ARS SenasaRD, the government health provider; Laboratorio Referencia (the leading reference lab), Heart Care Dominicana and Dr. Amado Alejandro Baez, executive director of the Presidential Committee for Covid-19 Response. This committee has offices at the Ministry of Economy.
Dr. Ureña explained on the “Esta Noche con Mariasela” TV show on 11 May that the effort was carried out in coordination with the Club Mauricio Báez, a large neighborhood social club in Villa Juana. “What we have done is bring lab tests to the poorest so that the barrios can be informed and prevent the disease, he told Listin Diario reporters. He later clarified that 32% of the 311-person sample were people that tested positive, not 40% as originally stated. Dr. Ureña is an advisor to the High Commission for the Control and Prevention of Coronavirus, the presidential commission that decides measures to be taken in regards to Covid-19. He urged the government step up measures to test people in the slums and isolate the infected persons, given that most do not have conditions at their homes to self-isolate.
Public Health Minister Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas has announced the government is working on a population random test to have a better grasp of the penetration of the disease in the Dominican population. He has not been able to give a date for the findings to be presented. He has explained the information is being compiled to assist the government in taking decisions regarding the relaxing of the restrictions.
Follow the story in Spanish:
Ministry of Public Health press briefing
Listin Diario
Esta Noche con Mariasela
Esta Noche con Mariasela
12 May 2020