translated from Spanish: Health Minister said chance of coronavirus reaching Chile “not low”

Health Minister Jaime Mañalich referred to Chile’s action in the face of the coronavirus outbreak in China, which has so far recorded cases in other countries around the world. In this sense, the head of portfolio detailed what are the backgrounds that are managed so far, after meeting in La Moneda with President Sebastián Piñera. In this sense, he argued that “in Chile we already have the installed capacity to make the specific diagnosis if a person is studying a disease associated with this virus”. In particular, he argued that “every sick person is in average to spread 3.8 other people(…) the viruses we know, like influence, have a cup of 1.8 to 2 maximum,” he said, exemplifying the level of the disease, which he called “epidemic.” “It is a virus that circulates in various animals, was transmitted to humans and acquired the possibility of being transmitted from person to person,” he added, arguing that it is to be expected that this emergency scenario will have multiple effects, including consequences at the copper, public order and international relations. “All effort requires coordination beyond the Ministry of Health (…) we still know quite little about what is going to happen with this epidemic in the world and particularly in the case of our country,” he acknowledged. It also addressed the known data, stating that the incubation period of the virus is less than 14 days, and has a lethality of the order of 10 percent. However, it also indicated that there were gaps and ignorance as to the actual number of affected and the transmission. “We don’t know how it’s transmitted from person to person (…) you can’t certify that there isn’t a transmission for inanimate objects,” he said. SOSPECHOSOS CASE As regards the protocols that Chile will adopt, Mañalich, insisted that fake news should not be taken into account. And in the same vein, he warned that suspicious cases might appear, but that “they’re not going to be proven as truly positive cases. We have studied three cases, where coronavirus has not been certified,” he added, stating that these patients were monitored. In this way, it is hoped to strengthen the epidemiological network so that any cases that appear are treated or isolated. “We have established mandatory notification of all cases that consult for a serious respiratory infection that does not have an accurate diagnostic cause,” he concluded.

Original source in Spanish