On this occasion, it is a patient in Quito, who arrived in mid-December 2021 from the United Kingdom.
This December 18, 2021, a day after the second case of Covid-19 with the omicron variant was reported in Guayaquil, the authorities confirmed a third patient with the same variant
This is a patient domiciled in Quito. The person came from United Kingdom, in mid-December 2021. Immediately, the test was carried out to confirm the Covid-19 and the presence of this mutation identified for the first time in South Africa was confirmed.
Variant #omicron ???? was first detected in #Africa. ???? We tell you ???????? https://t.co/DQk0v1Oplz pic.twitter.com/Bb53pPkOtW
– The Ecuador Hour (@lahoraecuador) November 26, 2021
The citizen arrived with two vaccines (complete schedule) and the reinforcement. Currently, it is isolated; as well as his direct contacts.
The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) assured that a series of actions are being carried out to control the advance of this and other mutations. These include people tracking, mandatory isolation or quarantine, and close-circle tracking.
«The Portfolio thanks the citizens for their co-responsibility and collaboration within the framework of the epidemiological research. That is, for providing the necessary information to carry out active epidemiological surveillance and early control of possible community outbreaks. The MSP guarantees the confidentiality of the data of each one of them “, it was specified in an official statement
Two ‘clusters’ detected in Ecuador
In Ecuador there are two ‘clusters’ or identified, according to the information provided by the National Institute of Public Health Research (Inspi). One was located in Pichincha and another in Guayas.
It is known as ‘cluster’ (term in English used in epidemiological surveillance) to the groups of inhabitants who are observed when one or more positive cases of a disease occur, such as that caused by variants of the disease. Covid-19.
However, due to the transmissibility characteristics of the omicron there is a high possibility that their contagion will become community in the coming weeks.
Faced with this reality, the MSP, through its Phoenix plan (for a comprehensive response to the pandemic), made the respective isolation of the cases. In addition, it raised an epidemiological fence around the contacts of the infected people.
The authorities recalled that these early actions were also carried out to identify the delta variant.
“The objective is to avoid a health crisis and, for this, it is insisted, citizen co-responsibility is fundamental,” the official statement concluded.
Doctor in Guayaquil warned about community contagion
Although the authorities deny that the spread of the variant omicron is community in the countryThrough social networks, the intensivist physician César Mariscal assured that there is evidence of this.
In a short video, the specialist said that “until now there has been no official recognition, but what we know, from what we see with our patients, is that ómicron is definitely with community transmission in Guayaquil«.
Mariscal pointed out that he had just received a patient from a group of 25 people who, according to his version, would have shared a suite in a stadium.
«This boy already has the omicron variant isolated. Within that group there are 18 sick people and to define what variant it is, “he said.
Mariscal added that, in the last week, there has been doubled the number of PCR processed from 450 to more than 900 in the laboratories affiliated with the private clinic where he works in Guayaquil.
«Today only 20 samples have given an omicron variant. The conclusion is that omicron is a variant that is already with community transmission in Guayaquil. We bear in mind that it is of high transmissivity, but not necessarily of greater severity, “he concluded.
