The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) confirmed the circulation of the omicron variant in Nicaragua, according to data provided by the Ministry of Health (Minsa), which however – as has happened with the circulation of the other SARS-CoV2 variants – It has not informed the Nicaraguan population, which finds out again through the international organization.
PAHO also warned of a slight increase in positive cases of covid-19, whose majority of samples correspond to omicron and, to a lesser extent, to the delta variant.
“Nicaragua confirmed the circulation of the omicron variant, and that today, most of the positive samples for SARS-CoV-2 correspond to that variant and to a lesser extent to the delta variant,” said Dr. Ciro Ugarte, director of emergencies at PAHO health at a press conference this Wednesday.
As also occurred with the identification of the other variants of concern -alpha, beta, gamma and delta-, Nicaragua was again the last in Central America to confirm the circulation of omicron, considered the most contagious among all strains, although with less ability to cause serious illness, according to scientific studies.
Ugarte explained that according to the characterization of the cases corresponding to positive samples that have been sequenced by the Minsa, the majority correspond to the female sex. The most affected age groups range from 30 to 50 years, followed by those over 50 years. And as has happened in other countries that detected the circulation of omicron, it is estimated that the variant will progressively “be present” throughout the country.
“It is very important that the population is aware that it is very difficult for a variant of this type to be concentrated in only one place, and therefore, it is essential to maintain protection measures, in particular, the proper, permanent use of a mask in public environments, maintaining physical distanceavoid crowds, particularly in places where it is very difficult, that the environment is closed, it may increase transmission, ”said doctor Ugarte.
Until now, the authorities of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) have not made official the circulation of any of the variants of concern, as if their counterparts in neighboring countries have done so. In past weeks, PAHO assured that Nicaragua has generated a genomic surveillance system that has allowed it to demonstrate the circulation of variants, both of interest and of concern.
However, it has been through the report that the Minsa sends to OPS that it has been possible to corroborate what the real situation of the variants is, since everything related to the covid-19 pandemic is handled under the discretion of the Daniel regime. Ortega in Nicaragua.
Increase in infections by omicron coincides with medical reports
The slight increase in cases confirmed by the regional health entity coincides with the report of independent doctors who confirmed CONFIDENTIAL, that at the beginning of January, they identified the presence of infections with suspicious symptoms of omicron. The patients infected their relatives in less time, the symptoms were of the catarrhal type and the period of evolution of the disease was much shorter than how they were manifesting in previous outbreaks.
Doctor Ugarte stressed that if a person has suspicious symptoms of covid-19 or has had contact with a person with coronavirus symptoms, they must protect themselves much more. The “greatest transmission occurs in closed spaces, in places where people do not wear masks and frequently, this occurs at home, in restaurants or in work environments where people do not wear masks, and as we know, the virus can even be transmitted up to 48 hours before the onset of symptoms…”. Likewise, he encouraged the population to report their cases to the health authorities.
The doctor recalled that stigmatizing people with covid-19 goes against slowing down the infections that continue to spread throughout the world. “Putting a stigma on people who are positive for covid-19 or who have symptoms is causing us great problems of increased transmission. So this goes for the population in Nicaragua, but it goes for the population of our entire region… ”, he expressed.
Despite all the recommendations of PAHO and independent doctors, the Ortega regime through the country’s institutions continues to carry out agglomeration activities that expose the population. The same vice president, Rosario Murillo, points out every Friday that more than 4,000 activities are carried out on weekends.
Both the Minsa and the Government have been silent about the circulation of the variants of the virus in 2021, despite the fact that they had already confirmed their presence. They allowed the population to be exposed to more contagion and deaths.
