This Tuesday marked six consecutive weeks that the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reports a sustained increase in covid-19 infections, these would be related to the omicron variant of concern. However, this new outbreak shows a different behavior than previous waves.
“Before there was greater affection at the pulmonary level, instead now there is greater affection at the bronchial level. There is not so much cough, but there may be greater discomfort in breathing, the person may feel congested without the need for nasal secretions”, explains a doctor who treats privately.
The contagion of ómicron, which is the one with the highest circulation in the country according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), triggers many more infections than the other variants. Health personnel have found cases of several members of the same family or circle with the symptoms.
In the last week, the Minsa authorities identified 109 new cases, which translates to a daily average of 15. This number is 137% higher than that reported a month ago and almost 180% more than the number of infections identified in the first week of January.
The Martínez family was one of those infected in recent weeks. They know it was covid-19 because they did a rapid test on the first person who showed respiratory, flu-like symptoms, and it came back positive. A few days later, two more people presented symptoms, but they were very mild. These included headache, fever, cough and in one case there was diarrhoea.
Vaccines will improve disease progression
The doctor, who asked to reserve her name for fear of reprisals, explains that vaccines make a difference in this new outbreak. Most of the patients she has treated were already inoculated and she has also seen cases of people who had already become ill.
According to official data shared by the Minsa with PAHO, 57% of the population have already completed their vaccination schedule and 80% have already received at least one vaccine. However, the doctor emphasizes that there are other factors that influence evolution to be less aggressive. For example, doctors are better prepared to identify and care for SAR-CoV-2 infection, and protocols have been created that have improved care.
However, he points out that efforts must be continued to prevent the spread of covid-19 because there is also a genetic factor that predisposes certain people to have severe forms of covid-19.
“That means that each person does not know when they can have a serious condition. There are families where several people from the same family have died and that makes one always have to be careful, ”she points out.
The Martínez family is one of them, since they had already lost a relative during the first wave that occurred in the first year of the pandemic. In this new outbreak, none of those infected required hospitalization, but they were sent home for a week to rest and avoid infecting others.
Deaths remain stagnant
Although the Minsa reports an increase in infections, deaths have remained stagnant at one weekly for 72 weeks. The number did not change even when the pandemic reached its peak in September 2021. Meanwhile, deaths from pneumonia, which in Nicaragua have hidden deaths from covid-19, did register an increase in the last month.
As of February 22, after 706 days since the first contagion was confirmed, the authorities only admit 225 deaths and the accumulated number of infections throughout the country is 18,402, of these 13,624 would have recovered. However, there is no data on how many later died from the aftermath.
The pandemic has also left an economic impact and although it is now said that it is milder for families, it can mean an expense that they cannot pay, says the doctor.
“What for a family may not mean very expensive to spend two thousand cordobas on treatment, for a very poor family it could mean removing two thousand cordobas from their basic basket and that is where the health systems begin to become saturated, when the poorest people they do not have access to medicines and have to resort to public health services”, he laments.
