The governor Wanda Vázquez Garced confirmed today the first suspect case of the new strain of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Puerto Rico, so the protocol established for the management of this infection was activated.
This is an Italian tourist who arrived on the island today on the Costa Luminosa cruise ship from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, which stopped at a pier in San Juan. The governor reported that the woman was treated at Ashford Hospital by presenting symptoms of Covid-19.
“This person, apparently, during the trajectory already near Puerto Rico, had a picture of pneumonia,” said the president.
The patient is in isolation, as is her husband, who has no symptoms. Both samples were taken to identify Covid-19, which will be sent tomorrow to Atlanta.
“It is a suggestive picture or simulate pneumonia. But as our responsibility is to take care of the citizens, we are going to take the samples to rule out a case of coronavirus, ”said Vázquez Garced.
Previously, there had been reports of cases under surveillance because they had respiratory symptoms similar to coronavirus, but it was determined that they did not meet the clinical criteria to justify being tested for Covid-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had confirmed 106,893 cases of Covid-19 in 103 countries and territories until today at 8:30 p.m. Among the cases identified, 3,639 deaths have been reported worldwide.
Today, the federal State Department issued a warning to deter people, particularly older adults and those with chronic conditions.
Last week, the Secretary of Health, Rafael Rodríguez Mercado, confirmed that the agency had not received the materials for testing on the island, but that the samples would be sent to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) in Atlanta.
The protocol established by the Department of Health, with the advice of federal authorities, states that the test to detect the virus has to be processed by the CDC in Atlanta. At the local level, its implementation depends on the approval of the state epidemiologist, Carmen Deseda.
Among the criteria to take into account when evaluating patients, is their travel history, as well as if they have fever or symptoms of respiratory tract disease. Another of the points to be observed is whether the patient has a respiratory condition without an identified alternate diagnosis.
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