Skip to main content

Testing delay increases COVID-19 cases in Honduras, according to microbiologists

Testing delay increases COVID-19 cases in Honduras, according to microbiologists


The spokeswoman for the Honduran College of Microbiologists and Clinical Chemists, Miriam Aguilera, warned this day about the massive spread of COVID-19 by those asymptomatic patients who have been in contact with those who are awaiting the result of their test.

"Only the Central District could be pulsing with more than 30 thousand positive cases and around 50 thousand cases nationwide, most of them asymptomatic that are infecting other people," he said. 

Unofficial figures indicate that there are about seven thousand tests that are pending processing at the National Virology Laboratory, with an average delay of 10 days, of which the percentage of positivity would be higher than 71 percent.

“We have a very high number of pending samples; of these, we calculate approximately 5,000 positives, and if we count that three to five people are infected for each one, we could then speak of a very high number of cases, ”said Aguilera.

"All the contacts of the last two weeks have not yet been sampled to see if they are positive and have been circulating as asymptomatic carriers, infecting others," he added. Faced with this scenario, he called on the public to take extreme biosecurity measures and abide by the provisions of the authorities to avoid getting infected.

Due to the impact of the virus, which in the national territory is already around 13 thousand cases and has claimed at least 363 lives, since the previous Friday six municipal markets have been closed in the capital and as of this Monday, June 21, the phase zero of the smart reopening of the economy and social sectors.

In this regard, Dr. Marco Tulio Medina, a member of the Surveillance Committee of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), explained that said determination was made based on the analysis of the behavior of the pandemic.

"It has been a unanimous recommendation of the Vigilance Committee, in the sense that it return to phase zero and that corresponds to a decision to make a strong recommendation to all citizens of our capital city, in the sense of avoiding crowds extreme all the measures that have been recommended to avoid the epidemic ”, he expressed.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When and how would the Covid-19 vaccine be distributed?

  Reuters -   Pfizer Inc with its partner BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc have released test data showing its  Covid-19 vaccines are 95% effective at preventing the disease  , while AstraZeneca Plc announced this week that its vaccine could be up to 90%. If regulators approve any of the vaccines in the next few weeks, the companies have said  distribution could begin almost immediately  , with governments around the world deciding who gets it and in what order.  The following is a summary of the process: WHEN WILL COMPANIES RELEASE A VACCINE? Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have already started manufacturing their vaccines.  Pfizer said this year it will have enough to inoculate 25 million people;  Moderna will have doses for 10 million people  and AstraZeneca for more than 100 million. The US Department of Defense and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) will manage the distribution in that country, probably starting in m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Covid-19 puts the home office model to the test

Covid-19 puts the home office model to the test Currently, we have the technological and digital tools that allow us to carry out most of our professional activities remotely, that is, through the home office. However, there are organizations that have not yet made the leap towards this work model.  And, precisely, the situation in the face of Covid-19 has exerted "pressure" for this to happen.  And it is certainly the only way to keep moving forward, without stopping the day-to-day operation of a business. What to do to implement an effective and productive home office strategy? 1.-Breaking paradigms.  First of all, we must break with some paradigms, such as: "The employees of an organization require continuous supervision so that the activities are executed." It is an outdated paradigm;  However, if it is true, we are talking about a very basic level of collaborators.  It depends on their maturity but, at the same time, on the leader, feeling that they have r...
Post a Comment
Read more

Diagnostic tests for COVID-19

Diagnostic tests for COVID-19 We have three different tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19 , those that detect coronavirus RNA, those that detect a specific protein (antigen) of COVID-19 and those that detect the body's response to the virus, that is Antibodies. In COVID-19, the test we use to detect RNA is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR by its initials in English).  Without getting lost in details, the PCR detects RNA sequences unique to SAR-Cov-2.  It is used to identify people who are infected by the virus (have many or few symptoms) and has been the key to the beginning of the pandemic.  Until now, it has been the only test available to confirm cases of COVID-19 in Spain and other countries.  It is the most reliable (fewer false positives and false negatives) and is recommended by health authorities such as the WHO.  The sampling is very simple, a simple swab and make a nasal and / or pharyngeal smear. Logically, it has its drawbacks.  The main one ...
Post a Comment
Read more
Testing delay increases COVID-19 cases in Honduras, according to microbiologists