Talk | Covid19: English and Brazilian variants discovered in Haiti

After long months of rest, confirmed cases of coronavirus are on the rise in Haiti. The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), which has stopped communicating about the evolution of the virus, is resuming publication of newsletters and press releases. In the first two weeks of May, the country recorded about 142 cases and 8 deaths, according to official figures released by the aforementioned ministry.

In a notice published Friday, May 14th, MSPP informed residents that “two different types of Covid-19 have been detected on Haitian soil.” “These are the Brazilian and English variants. The National Public Health Laboratory (LNSP) of the MSPP will continue the investigation to assess the extent of the problem due to the high rate of infection of these variants,” reveals the opinion of the Ministry of Health.

In addition, the MSPP urged residents to strictly apply known barrier measures. “This includes wearing the mandatory mask, regular hand washing, compulsory temperature measurement before entering public places, and respecting the physical distance, which is no less than 1.50 meters, between each person, especially during meetings,” recalls Al-Ra’i. .

In an interview with Magik9 this Friday, Lauré Adrien, general manager of MSPP, believes that with these two variables, Haiti is taking a new step in the pandemic. “Previously we had a classic virus. With these two variables being confirmed, we must double our vigilance. The same recommended instructions to limit the spread of the virus apply and will allow us to fight the spread of new variants,” the doctor says.

The MSSP general manager stressed that the Brazilian variant is not more aggressive but the contagion is higher. According to the details of the general manager of MSPP, the latter is attacking classes of people who would otherwise have survived the classic virus. In the process, Lori Adrian said he does not rule out the possibility that new variants will develop into serious forms as more people are exposed. And he warns that “the more people infected there, the greater the possibility of developing severe forms.”