TODAY NICARAGUA – While the world tightens restrictions again to stop the second wave of Covid-19 contagion, which has already killed almost two million people and at a time when fear grows for a more contagious strain of the virus, in Nicaragua the regime of Daniel Ortega took advantage of the long weekend to promote massive events on beaches and cities across the country, creating favorable conditions for Covid-19 to spread at a faster rate.
Hand in hand with the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (Intur), the regime encouraged massive visits to the beaches, where the high number of people was visible in various resorts such as Pochomil, Masachapa, La Boquita, Paso Caballos, Xiloá and recreational centers such as El Trapiche, and Xilonem, as shown by photographs released by the Ortega propaganda media. All these centers are administered by Intur.
On one of the Pacific beaches, Intur even promoted a concert by Gustavo Leytón and his dancers, which brought together hundreds of people without any measure of social distancing and the use of masks, the main recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) to stop the spread of the virus, which has become more contagious and has the world in suspense.
That even contrasts with Brazil, the second country worst hit in the world by the pandemic, which, in order to avoid the massive arrival of bathers to say goodbye to 2020 and receive 2021, ordered the closure of its beaches in Rio de Janeiro.
In addition, while in the world the main capitals ordered the cancellation of the massive events to welcome the New Year, in Nicaragua, on the contrary, the Government reported that it organized a concert in Puerto Salvador Allende, where a musical group attracted thousands of people. The images show people exposed to the virus.
The departments were not spared either from the erratic policy of handling the pandemic by the Daniel Ortega regime. The pro-government media released images of massive events called by the Executive in various cities in the interior of the country.
In the municipality of Nagarote, in León, hundreds of families participated this Saturday in the Tope de Toros, where security measures were not oriented and where there was an agglomeration of people.
There were also events in Boaco, Matagalpa, Managua, Estelí, Ocotal, Masaya, Rivas, Chontales and Granada, where several festivals called “Welcome Carnival to the new year 2021” were reported, where a significant number of people attended.
According to the figures of Covid-19 cases registered by the Citizen Observatory, the alert of an upturn in infections was confirmed in the report from December 2 to 16, when the cases increased to 118 and 223 affected. Showing an increasing trend if compared with the figures registered in the weeks of November 26 to December 2, where it decreased to 82 cases.
The prelude to a second outbreak
In the opinion of the public health specialist, Dr. Carlos Hernández, member of the Multidisciplinary Scientific Committee, the attitude of the Ortega regime with the promotion of massive activities amid the rebound in cases and deaths of Covid-19, reflects that it did not learn the lesson of the first outbreak occurred from May to July, when hospitals collapsed.
“It seems to us not only very unfortunate that (the regime) is doing all that, at this point with everything that is happening in Latin America and neighboring countries that are in a second outbreak and returning to quarantines, it is very serious and It is worrying that we have not learned the lesson of May, June and July, that we are promoting crowd activities when we know that this leads to the mortality that we already register, ”said Hernández.
The specialist warned that if there were an outbreak like the one that occurred from May to July 2020 “it would be a tragedy for the country”, because this second wave is going to be very costly “in terms of human lives that could be avoided simply by not promoting the activities”.
Dr. Hernández stated that Nicaragua is the only country in the world that has promoted more massive activities in the midst of the pandemic and what in his opinion represents “an attitude that has already been shown to cost many lives,” although the Government tries to disguise the figures from through the Ministry of Health.
“In no country on the planet, in any government, but none, promoted crowd activities. All the governments of the planet since the first outbreak have said: no crowds, they suspended all events and sports, even Sweden, which they say Nicaragua followed suit, but it is not true. Sweden since February and March 2020 closed schools for people over 15 years old and banned meetings of more than 50 people, that is, there is no country on the planet that promotes crowd activities in the midst of an epidemic as serious as that of Covid Only Nicaragua, ”Hernández remarked.
According to the public health specialist, where the greatest responsibility for this epidemic should be is in the government itself, however, he questioned the fact that it is the same government that is exposing the population to contagion.
“It is from the Government that they should be leading a responsible attitude, of care, of protection, of not promoting this type of activity that clearly is putting people at risk, not only of contagion, but of death,” concluded Hernández .
Deaths from pneumonia confirm regrowth
For Dr. Hernández, the fact that for almost two months, between October and November, Nicaragua went through a phase of decline in the cases and deaths of Covid-19, that contributed to the Nicaraguan believing that the pandemic had already passed , despite repeated calls from independent medical associations that the virus continued to circulate in the country.
However, according to Hernández, “right now not only a circulation of scattered cases, which is what we had between October and November, but right now we are seeing cases and especially deaths increasing based on official data based on pneumonia” .
According to the Ministry of Health, in Nicaragua as of December 23 there were 4,629 cases of Covid-19 and only 160 had lost their lives for this cause. However, until December 20, the Minsa reported that there have been an accumulated 85,981 cases and 2,789 deaths from pneumonia, the latter representing an increase of almost seven times compared to 2019 and doctors link it to the pandemic.
“We are taking only pneumonia as an indicator, which means a third of all excess deaths attributable to Covid. The same Government reports that pneumonia in this year (2020) deaths are seven times more than last year and in any part of the planet that should be an alarm, an epidemiological emergency, “said Dr. Hernández.
He added that deaths could be much higher if deaths from other causes are taken into account. “It may be much more worrisome, surely there are many more deaths if deaths from heart attack, diabetes, hypertension are added, for all these comorbidities that are really below which are deaths attributable to Covid-19”, Dr. Hernández finished.
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