COVID-19: ómicron bursts into the end of the world

Considered the most contagious strain to date, the omicron variant it has even managed to penetrate the isolated and southern Chilean region of Magallanes, popularly considered as “the end of the world”.

A jump that has disrupted the epidemiological situation derived from the COVID-19 and that has put the national health system on the ropes, despite the containment efforts of Chile, one of the most advanced countries in the world in vaccination.

In this patch, the southernmost part of the American continent, the landscape is made up of small and humble villages that are increasingly depopulated and a couple of cities, Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales, that try to subsist through tourism.

Despite being one of the most remote places on the planet, with a very low population density due to its harsh climate, omicron has spread like wildfire, raising cases to all-time highs and the PCR positivity rate above 18%, one of the highest in the country.

“Currently we only have one bed available in intensive care and most of the admissions are patients labeled with omicron,” lamented Dr. Andrés Prieto, director of the ICUs at the Hospital Clínico de Magallanes.

The region is about to move to the next phase of the protocol, he added, “the activation of the evacuation of patients by air.”

In the worst moments of the health crisis, Magallanes and other rural regions, isolated or with little infrastructure, collapsed and had to transfer patients to Santiago.

This scenario only occurred in October 2020 and during the serious second wave that lasted between March and August of last year, the doctor detailed, an episode that forced 90% of the population to be confined and to shield the entrance of tourists for almost half-year.

Omicron crosses borders

The omicron, which according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) It is already the majority in the world, it has also permeated the rest of Chile, which adds 1.9 million total infected and has experienced an explosive increase in cases after four months under control.

In January, positivity soared from 1% to 13% and infections exceeded 14,000 daily, a record figure for the health crisis.

In Magallanes, the increase in cases came from the arrival of tourist cruises with travelers who want to visit the Torres del Paine National Park or even Antarctica, two hours by plane from the city of Punta Arenas.

“The boats dock here and all the tourists get off. We had not seen this number of people since before the pandemic,” said Ximena Palacio, a resident of Punta Arenas.

She and a group of older women have coffee on the sidewalk of the promenade that borders the Strait of Magellan. The only topic of conversation: the new restrictions imposed to contain the virus.

As of Wednesday, the capacity will be reduced in this city as well as in Puerto Natales, where only ten vaccinated or five unvaccinated people will be able to meet.

The measures are still far from those that were taken during the first two waves, when the mandatory quarantines lasted more than three months.

Protocols for tourists

Karena Espinosa, director of the Teaching Research Assistance Center (CADI) at the University of Magallanes, told Efe that several patients detected with omicron came from international ships and planes.

For the most part, they are notified when entering the country since Chile, which opened its borders for tourists in October 2021, has strict protocols and all travelers must undergo two PCR tests, one before boarding and another after landing, in addition to have the complete vaccination schedule.

“The latest report indicates that in December 5% of the sequenced cases were omicron, but in January we expect these percentages to exceed 50%,” he added.

The vaccination brake

Eduardo Riquelme, from the regional division of the Ministry of Health (Seremi), told Efe that his hopes are pinned on the vaccination campaign.

“Here in Punta Arenas we have more than 90% of the population with their full scheme, unlike during the second wave, and we hope that it will serve to contain serious cases,” he said.

Chile has deployed one of the most effective immunization campaigns in the world, reaching more than 92% of the population (19 million inhabitants) with the complete scheme, mostly with CoronaVac, from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac.

More than 12 million people have received an additional injection and the administration of fourth doses to immunosuppressed people has already begun, which will continue in February with those over 55 years of age.