The pandemic motivates measures in Quito and Guayaquil before two December holidays

The alert due to the increase in cases of COVID-19 and the circulation of variants of the virus in different cities of the country, such as Quito and Guayaquil, has motivated the authorities to take precautions and measures that counteract the risks of more infected due to the proximity of events for the Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities.

In Quito, the Capital Emergency Operations Committee (COE) determined to move the epidemiological traffic light from yellow to orange, which implies the reduction of capacity in user assistance spaces.

For example, in public transport 75% capacity will be allowed, in auditoriums, convention centers, reception rooms and others abroad (such as corporate and academic events) will have 80%. Restaurants will be able to operate with 60% indoors and 70% outdoors, while bars and discos will have 30%.

In Quito, the local board accepted the recommendation that public events authorized before December 14 be held with new capacities and presenting the vaccination card or negative PCR tests before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

According to security Secretary of the Municipality of Quito, Daniela Valarezo, the vaccination card or certificate will not be required, Rather, the mayor of the capital, Santiago Guarderas, urged that he ask for it.

“What we are doing is urging, the mayor (of Quito, Santiago Guarderas) urges all public and private institutions and shopping centers and restaurants, commercial establishments to request this vaccination certificate; it is not mandatory for admission why that would be a restriction of rights“Said the official in Teleamazonas.

In Guayaquil Capacity controls were also arranged in places where people attended and even the request for an immunization certificate or PCR test of up to 72 hours of validity for people over 12 years of age in theaters and cinemas.

Currently, the Main Port coexists with a sustained increase in COVID-19 infections and increasing mortality, only in the last week it went from 1 to 3 cases per day on average. Authorities are concerned about the upcoming holidays that could generate a greater number of infections.

Lenín Vargas, coordinator of the intensive care area (ICU) of the Luis Vernaza hospital, commented that until a month ago they had the presence of patients with COVID-19 sporadically, but three weeks ago a complete space for the care of the virus with 14 beds, since the number of serious cases increased to more than five.

“We have had an average of eight to ten beds (occupied), it has never been completely full until now, currently there are eight,” he said, adding that the increase in cases may be a consequence of citizen relaxation in the previous holiday by the deceased and the independence of Cuenca.

Points are activated in six sectors of Guayaquil to take free COVID-19 tests

Currently, the sanatorium has available 6 beds of the 14 enabled in its space for ICU COVID-19. However, if more attention of this type is required, the capacity could even triple with 48 spaces.

In Guayaquil, at a general level, the hospital situation maintains a stable constant in patient admissions in hospitalization spaces and intensive care areas in recent weekssaid Carlos Farhat, Health Advisor to the Guayaquil Emergency Operations Committee (COE).

The epidemiologist recalled that the sanatoriums in recent weeks have been increasing spaces as greater demand is required, since most health homes closed those spaces with the decrease in cases weeks ago.

At the height of the health crisis, as at the end of last year, there were more than 300 beds and even a waiting list in sanatoriums.

Until the beginning of this week, The hospitals of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), Social Security (IESS) and the private network had 45 of the 64 beds occupied in the COVID-19 ICU.

On the other hand, in the occupation of hospital beds, the health units of the MSP had 9 of 22 beds, the private clinics 72 of 164 and the IESS 13 of 60, according to data collected by the local COE Health Bureau.

“If this continues, especially for what we are going to see in December (Christmas and New Year’s holidays), which is a very high risk factor, and I don’t want to think about what could happen at carnival; But if this happens, then there will be more sick people and more beds occupied, and if this continues, there will come a time when we will not have more beds to offer, ”said epidemiologist Farhat.

In turn, the epidemiologist Washington Alemán, head of the Infectious Diseases Prevention Unit of the municipal Health Directorate, said that currently any respiratory symptoms such as mucus, headache, or sore throat proper precaution should be taken with isolation and go for a test to be able to confirm or rule out the diagnosis.

Given the proximity of two holidays in a row, Vargas reiterated the request to keep distance, use a mask and avoid crowded meetings with friends or companies. In the case of family appointments at the holidays, he recommended that it be done in open spaces with the same measurements.

There are also patients who attend public and private centers and their pictures remain stable with the respective medical treatment.

This week, Carlos Ortega, who has both doses of the vaccine, suffers mild damage from the virus with a cough, general malaise, loss of taste and smell. In recent days, he began to feel various discomforts related to the virus, such as mucus, for which he attended health centers of the Ministry and Social Security, they prescribed various medications and for now he remains at home. He is now in isolation after confirming his positive test result for COVID-19.

His wife, who is pregnant, tested negative and remains at her parents’ home until she waits for Ortega to make a full recovery. “I’m more active, before I was heavier,” he said.

Until this December 21, Ecuador adds 538,218 confirmed cases. In Guayaquil there are 52,060 cases detected by PCR test and in Quito 184,664, according to the information bulletins of the Risk Management Service. (I)