Precipitation sows doubts about the effect of the new covid strategy

Precipitation sows doubts about the effect of the new covid strategy


Image of the atmosphere of the first night without restrictions in a nightlife area of ​​the capital of Gran Canaria / Juan Carlos Alonso

As of today, Health only notifies infections in those over 60 years of age. Doctors do not know if the necessary change comes at the right time

Carmen Delia Aranda

From this Monday,
The Canary Islands apply the new covid-19 surveillance system focused only on vulnerable areas and groups, on serious cases and on the detection of new variants. In other words, from now on, the active infection test will only be prescribed for people over 60 years of age, vulnerable people or people with severe symptoms, in addition to those who reside or work in health, social health or prison centers. These people, if they present symptoms compatible with covid, can request a diagnostic test by calling 900 112 061.

As well
As of today, daily infections will no longer be reported, except for those over 60 years of ageand hospital occupancy and admissions of covid patients will be the only indicators to gauge the evolution of the pandemic, together with the accumulated incidence in people over 60 years of age.

Added to these measures
the abolition of quarantines in the positive mild and asymptomatic, to whom extreme caution is recommended to avoid contagion. They should only contact their Primary Care doctor, who needs sick leave due to symptoms that make them unable to work.

«The weight of the evolution of the pandemic will fall on the citizen.
It is clear that the protocols had to change because they were sanitary and economically unsustainable, but I don't know if this change is too abrupt and if it comes at the right time. We will see it in the coming weeks, ”says Natalia Hernández, secretary of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (Semergen) in the Canary Islands.

The doctor maintains that, when restrictions are lifted, infections and income tend to increase, but she also assures that, despite maintaining high contagiousness, the virulence of covid seems to have decreased.

For this reason, he believes that it will be necessary
observe what happens in hospitals where the difference between the flu and covid is clearly appreciated.

Also the vice president of the Canarian Association of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (Neumocan), Carlos Cabrera, sees
pros and cons in the new strategy. On the one hand, it values ​​the decrease in the lethality of the virus, which makes a count of daily infections unnecessary, but, on the other,
he fears that it conveys the idea of ​​​​"total normality" to the population. “The pandemic is not at levels that indicate that we can leave it completely behind. However, we believe it makes sense to focus on the most severe cases and populations at risk », he says.

In any case, the pulmonologist recognizes that the new control system is not without risk. "The
evolution monitoring in hospitals and some health centers you have to look closely so as not to be late to give a response if the infections skyrocket, although I trust that we will do well, “says Cabrera.

For her part, the spokeswoman for the Association of Primary Care Physicians of the Canary Islands (Amapcan), Elena Pérez, says that the new protocol has left them
puzzled faced with a sea of ​​doubts, such as the consideration of casualties due to covid as an occupational disease or if it is logical to maintain triage in health centers if mild cases do not require quarantine. «
We do not understand so much precipitation for a de-escalation measure. It is not urgent. It could be done with more pause », he laments.

For his part, the director of the Canarian Health Service, Conrado Domínguez, announced yesterday that
the Primary Care of the archipelago will be reinforced with more personnel and with the reorganization of services in the face of the new phase of the covid-19 pandemic.



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