The Secretary of the Department of Health of Puerto Rico (DS), Rafael Rodríguez Mercado said Wednesday that, although he acknowledges that the chances of the new coronavirus entering Puerto Rico territory are low, they are prepared and there are established protocols in case a case arises positive.
“The new coronavirus remains under control and all the cases identified have been of people who have come to the American territory with the disease, which means that it is not yet possible to conclude that it is circulating in the United States or that there is a case of contagion of person to person in North America, ”Rodríguez Mercado said in a written communication.
“However, it is up to all of us to take an active stance in the face of the threat of any disease that may put our health at risk and stop its spread. Therefore, we continue to work in coordination with the CDC in active surveillance, in the dissemination of prevention messages and we have updated our protocols in the event that a first case arises, ”he added.
He explained that the Office of Epidemiology sent protocol guides for surveillance and reporting of coronaviruses to all hospitals and epidemiologists. This establishes that, any health facility that identifies a possible case of coronavirus novel 2019, must immediately notify the regional epidemiologist of the Department of Health.
He added that if a sample is required, it should be coordinated with the staff of the DS public health laboratory, for handling and sending the sample to the Atlanta laboratory of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). English). The personnel of the public health laboratory of the Department of Health will be responsible for coordinating and referring the samples to the CDC for analysis, since it is currently the only one that performs the diagnostic tests to detect this virus.
He also said that if a person is suspected of having the virus, This persona will be isolated and taken to a hospital that the agency has identified on the Island with rooms prepared to handle cases that require isolation. The patient is treated according to the symptoms presented and kept under observation.
He also indicated that the CDC increased their travel alert to the highest level and requested that any trip to this destination be avoided. The CDC will also use more resources at the ports of entry identified to carry out strict monitoring processes among travelers from China. U.S. Customs and Border Protection are implementing improved health tests to detect travelers with fever, cough or shortness of breath when they enter the United States.
Detection procedures require that travelers complete a brief questionnaire about their trip, any symptoms and contact information. In addition, CDC personnel take the temperature of each traveler with a portable contactless thermometer (thermometers that do not touch the skin) and observe the traveler in search of cough or difficulty breathing. If sick travelers are identified, the CDC evaluates them further to determine if they should be taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation and to receive care as needed.
If the traveler has no symptoms, CDC staff will provide health information cards to take with them. The cards tell travelers what symptoms they should consider and what to do if they develop symptoms within 14 days of their departure from China.
