The independent monitoring of the COVID-19 Citizen Observatory registers an accumulated of 31,326 suspected infections of the coronavirus during the two years of the pandemic. 61% of these infections, more than 19,200, occurred during 2021. The deaths related to covid-19 add up to 5,970, of which 3,098 occurred last year.
The five departments that accumulate the most cases and deaths in these two years of pandemic are Managua, Madriz, Matagalpa, León and Estelí. In 2021, the worst hit departments were those in the north of the country, as confirmed by the data and the reports to which you had CONFIDENTIAL access.
The number of infections and deaths quickly doubled during the covid-19 outbreak, which occurred between August and October. And it could be even higher considering the circulation of the variants of concern that raise the level of transmissibility of the virus. However, the Observatory lost the ability to collect the information.
“This decrease is a consequence, among others, of the fear of retaliation by the Government of Nicaragua for providing information and the apparent normalization of the pandemic situation as a result of the insufficient, distorted and late information that the Government provides on the pandemic” they explain.
According to data from the Observatory, Health personnel were even more affected than the first year of the pandemic. When comparing the latest report from 2020 and 2021, it is revealed that of the 235 deaths that occurred throughout the pandemic, 123 occurred this year. 54% of these were doctors and 17% were nurses.
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) ensures that the accumulated number of COVID-19 infections is 17,885 and that of deaths is 217, the smallest number of deaths in the region, which becomes even more questionable when reiterating that since 64 weeks ago, the authorities added only one death every seven days. A statistically improbable data.
Population alert to omicron
The Observatory alerts the population to take preventive measures against SAR-CoV-2 and its variants, mainly on omicron that already circulates in two countries in the region and has proven to be more contagious than the other strains.
“In Central America, Costa Rica and Panama have already reported omicron circulation and its presence in Guatemala is suspected. (…) In Nicaragua, despite the reduction in the number of cases reported in the country, person-to-person transmission continues. Due to the behavior of the pandemic, it is to be expected that the omicron variant will also appear ”, they warn.
Likewise, they recommend that the Minsa increase the performance of diagnostic tests, improve vaccination days and carry out genomic tests that allow early detection of the circulation of this new variant.
“The information provided by the Minsa does not allow a clear vision of what is happening with the pandemic in the country, so that the population can better assess the risks to which it is exposed and take preventive measures,” they reiterate.
They also warn that they have received reports of children diagnosed with pneumonia, but who also have skin lesions similar to chickenpox. “The international literature reports the appearance of skin lesions as a clinical symptom in boys and girls with omicron. We asked the Minsa, is the Omicron variant circulating in the country? “
Likewise, they affirm that they have received complaints from health workers that they are applying extensive hours of work and that they also have a lack of equipment and medical personnel.
