Puerto Rico is not the exception to the reported cases of COVID-19 infections reported worldwide. There are at least five cases of people suspected of presenting symptoms compatible with the disease that are under investigated. The most recent case released this morning is of an 86-year-old man with no recent travel history to any country. But her systems appear to emulate those of confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
According to sources, the individual was in a long-term care facility for older adults.
Worldwide, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on Wednesday.
What do we know about the fifth suspected case in Puerto Rico?
This is an 86-year-old priest who is in a delicate state of health.
“It is cased,” said the secretary of Public Affairs of La Fortaleza, Osvaldo Soto, at a press conference.
The man resides in a community center for priests in the metropolitan area. Given this, a protocol was activated to monitor the other residents of the place and detect if they present symptoms associated with COVID-19, Soto said.
“The Department of Health and epidemiologists have been in direct contact with the people who reside with this priest,” added Soto.
Are there any confirmed cases of coronavirus in Puerto Rico?
The answer at the moment is no , but the number of people with symptoms that can be associated with the disease continues to increase since the first case was announced on Sunday.
How many people are observed as suspected of having the disease?
With the 86-year-old priest, the number increased to five.
The first two suspected cases, released on Sunday, are an Italian tourist who was traveling on the Costa Luminosa cruise ship and who was taken to the hospital, along with her husband, with respiratory problems. The woman and her husband were reportedly placed in an isolation room at Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital.
The results of these two tests have yet to be released by the government, which sent them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta on Monday afternoon.
The third and fourth cases that had been reported are those of a cancer patient and that of a person who also traveled on a cruise ship and was hospitalized in Mayagüez , also with suspicious symptoms of this disease.
The government has not yet released the results of any of these tests, so they remain suspicious cases of COVID-19.
What measures has the government of Puerto Rico taken?
Among the measures taken by the government, it was reported that, from now on, cruise ships arriving on the island must notify, before anchoring, if they have any suspected cases of this disease.
Meanwhile, at the Luis Muñoz Marín airport, in Carolina, CDC staff has been keeping up for more than a month doing a screening among travelers who return from one of the countries with confirmed cases, such as China. However, the testimonies of people who arrive on the island abound and no tests are carried out.
Furthermore, since the first two suspected cases were reported this Sunday, the government has been holding daily press conferences. A “task force” made up of representatives of various government agencies have been offering information on the actions they have taken to guide and educate citizens on this situation.
Are Puerto Ricans infected with coronavirus off the island?
At the moment, there are no confirmed cases, although this Wednesday a Puerto Rican student in the Dominican Republic was reported to be in preventive isolation after developing symptoms associated with the disease, reported the Secretary of Public Affairs of La Fortaleza, Osvaldo Soto.
In addition, on Wednesday it was reported that a student who returned from a study program on the continent of Asia arrived in the country and was asked to remain on preventive surveillance. China remains the epicenter and where the COVID-19 cases originated, at the end of last year.
How is the government informing the population?
Various government agencies, such as the Department of Housing, have been distributing information about COVID-19 and prevention measures to try to avoid contagion, which mainly consist of rigorous hygiene, frequent hand washing, avoiding touching your face and cough or cough label in the person’s elbow area.
Citizen responsibility was also urged, asking the public not to go to their jobs or schools if they are sick to avoid infecting others.
The government has informed that it will identify a hospital where the prospective suspected cases of this disease are concentrated. However, it has not been disclosed what this hospital would be, although it has transpired that part of the money authorized by the Fiscal Oversight Board to address this situation would be used to make any necessary adjustments in the hospital institution that is identified for these purposes.
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