Eduardo Perez Then, special advisor to the Presidency on Covid-19, confirms several Covid-19 variants are circulating in the Dominican Republic. He made the remarks after the lead researcher at the Institute of Tropical Medicine & Global Health of the Iberoamerican University (Unibe) confirmed the United Kingdom and Brazil variants were in circulation here.
Dr. Perez Then says the Ministry of Public Health has identified the incidence of five variants of the coronavirus in the Dominican Republic (variants from the United States, Belgium, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) from the random PCR samples. The variants were identified in samples taken in the National District, Santo Domingo East, La Altagracia and Espaillat provinces. Dr. Perez Then tied these variants to the surges in the disease that occurred between November of December 2021. The Ministry of Public Health sent the samples to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA.
The breakdown of the variants detected in the Dominican Republic is:
The National District: B.1.1.122 originating in the Netherlands and B.1.108 from the United States.
In Santo Domingo East, B.1.1.247, originating in Belgium.
Another variant from the United States, B.1.429 was located in the province of La Altagracia.
In Espaillat, the same mutation from Belgium (B.1.1.247) and also the UK mutation called B.1.165 were found.
Dr. Perez Then said that despite the presence of these highly transmissible variants, the spread of the disease nationwide has been declining. He said so far, there is no reason to suppose the variants will require changes in the announcement of the return to in-person learning starting in April 2021.
Dr. Paulino has recommended requesting PCR tests to enter the Dominican Republic. During the Esta Noche con Mariasela talk show on 9 March 2021, Dr. Maximo Brito, infectious diseases specialist at the University of Illinois in Chicago, said that soon most US travelers would be vaccinated, reducing the possibility of these spreading the disease when visiting here. He said the trend is for travelers to come with confirmation they are vaccinated, replacing the need for testing.
Vice President Raquel Peña said yesterday the country is installing this month the full capacity to detect the variants and sending samples to the CDC in the United States will no longer be necessary.
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Esta Noche con Mariasela
Esta Noche con Mariasela
Esta Noche con Mariasela
11 March 2021