Public Health: COVID-19 mutations occur every 8 weeks

The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Daniel Rivera , acknowledged this Monday that due to the constant mutations of the coronavirus, every eight or nine weeks active cases skyrocket, and that taking into account the current rate, this increase could be reflected in mid-January.

“Our behavior in the Dominican Republic is that the mutation change in the virus is activated every eight weeks. This Monday we entered the fourth week, the previous three weeks it was down and we continue this week the same, it may be that in the middle or end of January it may occur (the mutation cases).

The official assured that the country is prepared to face the next wave of coronavirus and recalled the last one, created by the delta variant , “it was very low and it was the third dose of the vaccination that allowed the blockade of the delta , so devastating in other countries.”

The official stressed that thanks to the high levels of vaccination, “today we have a low hospitalization of 11% and there are more patients with accidents, hypertension, diabetes, cerebral events and myocardial infarctions and other pathologies than with cases of COVID.”

Rivera affirmed that the country has a reserve of one million PRC and antigenic tests, which at the current rate of use, guarantee sampling until May 2022.

The minister asked citizens not to lower their guard, always wear a mask and maintain physical distance since they are the keys to avoiding the spread of COVID-19 regardless of vaccination.

Regarding the omicron variant, the Minister of Health said that constant samples are still being sent to Panama, Brazil and the United States “because we do not have this reagent.”

The minister spoke at the act of delivering 32 X-ray equipment to 27 hospitals of the nine of the Regional Health Services that make up the Public Network of the National Health Service ( SNS ), with an investment exceeding 140 million pesos .

Mario Lama , head of the SNS , pointed out that “we are delivering 32 portable digital X-ray equipment to be installed in 27 hospitals of the nine regional ones of the National Health Service, equipment that is essential to improve the quality of care, because it can be placed in the intensive care unit, in the emergency units, on the floors and in the operating rooms.”