Four days after President Iván Duque announced the presence of the British strain of covid-19 in Colombia, this Tuesday, April 20, the National Institute of Health (INS) confirmed the District Administrative Department of Health of Cartagena (DADIS) that the British variant already circulates in the capital of Bolívar.

The director of DADIS, Johana Bueno, explained that in a meeting with the INS Research Center she was notified of the presence or circulation of the British variant in the district and that, through the intensification of public health surveillance, it was possible to identify it in a timely manner and take action in this case.

One of the characteristics of this variant is that it has a 50% higher transmissibility. Although its symptoms are the same as those of all the variants and the care to prevent it is also the same.

“Its characteristic is that it is highly contagious, and it is considered that, if there are a large number of susceptibles, the number of infections is greater, and the percentage of positives that will require hospital care will be greater. Its symptoms are the same as those presented by all the variants”, reported the official.

Faced with the identification of this variant, Bueno called on citizens to reinforce self-care and personal responsibility measures, so prevention standards such as the proper use of a mask, ventilation, and physical distancing should be strengthened. and frequent hand washing.

“From the DADIS, citizens are invited not to make family visits, to use the mask, even inside their homes, and not exclusively in crowded places or on the street”, he claimed.

It should be noted that, in the last two days, it has been reporting more than 400 daily cases of covid-19 in Cartagena, reaching 63,796 infections since the beginning of the pandemic. Of these, 60,917 recovered, 1,093 died and 1,786 remain active.

As in other areas of the country such as Bogotá and Cúcuta, in Antioquia confirmed the presence of the United Kingdom and Brazil variants of covid-19. According to the Antioquia Government, there are 20 people with some of these variants.

In a press release, the government explained that after analyzes carried out in the One-Health laboratory of the National University and in the Departmental Laboratory of Antioquia in association with the National Institute of Health (INS), several samples were sequenced that confirm the existence of the variants.

To reach this conclusion, samples of hospitalized travelers under 60 years of age without comorbidities and non-hospitalized people residing in neighborhoods or municipalities with a high number of cases were analyzed. Those samples were taken between December 22, 2020 and April 9, 2021.

“In the samples we have sequenced, 23 different variants have been identified. Variant B.1.1.7 (United Kingdom) was identified in six samples, P1 (Brazil) in three, and mutations of interest in 20 people. Variant P1 was identified in people residing in Envigado, Medellín and Apartadó, and B.1.1.7 in Medellín and Rionegro”, the statement from the departmental authorities read.

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection reported, this Tuesday, April 20, 16,965 new cases of covid-19 in Colombia. The report also indicates that 429 Colombians died from the disease in the last 24 hours.

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