New quick tests will detect Covid and antibodies; Beware of new robbery scams; Universities plan in-person reopenings; Heart health is more complicated

Miércoles, 30/9/2020

Hola, Todos –
Actividades –

De la pagina cultural –

Dictan talleres gratuitos en MMAM (Free workshops at MMAM) – The Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno is again offering workshops in plastic arts and guitar for children from 7-12, teens from 13-17, and adults. There will be classes at different levels for new and returning students. To participate, register at Whatsapp: 0997984274.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Vuelven clases prácticas (Practical classes are back) – After developing over a dozen protocols, universities have reactivated their laboratories so students can return to practical classes. At the U. of Cuenca, students are practicing what they could not do virtually. <In a short time they’re going to be practicing in earnest, and probably with Covid patients.> The Universities of Azuay, Politécnica Salesiana, and Católica also have plans and spaces for students to return to practical classes.

Urge mantenimiento a pozas de anfibiios (Maintenance of amphibian pools is urgent) – Only 6 of the 10 frog ponds that the City built in 2017 are still in good shape. Currrently, the Bioparque Amaru, which has an amphibian conservation center, maintains the pools and is looking to restore 2 which were damaged by vandals, one which was destroyed by unknown parties, and relocate one which was completely destroyed on calle Paseo 27 de Febrero. A technician with the Comisión de Gestión Ambiental (CGA) of the Municipio de Cuenca said the goal is the conservation of the rana (frog) gastrotheca, also known as the rana marsupial which is endemic to Cuenca. Frogs are an indicator of environmental quality, they work to filter organic material, and control pests. <Yes! More frogs, fewer mosquitos.> The ponds were built along the banks of Tomebamba, Yanuncay and Tarqui – 3 on each river, and another in the parque El Paraíso.

The Covid pandemic has complicated medical care for those with heart disease. (El Mercurio)

Covid-19 dificulta el cuidado del corazón (Covid-19 makes heart care difficult) – Although heart problems were a leading cause of death in 2019, attending to cardiac patients has been difficult due to the pandemic and because medical specialists are busy fighting Covid. On top of this is the risk to cardiac patients when they go to an appointment and that heart patients who get Covid have a higher risk of becoming critical patients.

This reality has affected both the public and private health systems. At the Vicente Corral Moscoso hospital, external consulations for heart disease are closed and it only receives emergency cases. Heart patients are seen at the primary level (health centers and subcenters) unless the case is complicated. Data from the Ministerio de Salud Pública for 2019 shows heart disease causes 11.8% of the deaths in the country. The director of the Vicente Corral hospital said the best way to combat heart disease is through prevention: reducing the risk factors of alcohol consumption, being sedentary, smoking, being overweight; and maintaining permanent controls on diabetes and high blood pressure. The city has installed a desfibrilador (defibrillator) in Parque de la Madre. <Is that where 400 lb. smokers with diabetes, whose breakfast is hair of the dog, go to try jogging for the first time in 40 years?>

Nuevas pruebas para detectar coronavirus (New tests to detect coronavirus) – SIMED and Abbot have introduced tests and are willing to provide their supplies to laboratories in Cuenca. Abbot has a blood test that is available in Ecuador which will identify if a person has had Covid and includes an analysis of how much time the antibodies have been in the patient’s body. The test has a specificity of 99.9% if it is done within 17 days of the infection. 100-200 blood samples can be processed in an hour. SIMED has a quick test of antigens which can diagnose Covid immediately. The test takes 15 minutes and includes a portable detector than can be used outside of a lab. This test is only for symptomatic patients, has an effectiveness of 96%, and costs half of a PCR test. SIMED’s representative in Ecuador said there was interest in the Cuencano market which is the city with the most testing in the country.

Dictan prisión para acusado de disparos (Imprisonment for accused shooter) – A judge issued an order of preventive detention against the man who fired shots from a balcony into the Calle Miguel Heredia, injuring a policeman and damaging a parked car. The person arrested is being investigated for possession of illegal armas de fuego (firearms – your word for the day), property damage, assault and resistance. The man is the owner of the house, and family member said he suffers from psychological problems.

Alertan de aparente nueva modalidad de robo en calles (Alert of an apparent new form of robbery in the streets) – A video is spreading on social media of an apparently new way of robbing drivers. A citizen who was driving along Huayna Cápac reported that someone tried to stop him. Several people on the sidewalk or street signaled the driver in a way that indicated that something was wrong with his car with the goal of stopping the car. The driver who reported the incident did not stop, and when he got to work, verified that there wasn’t anything wrong with it. <So add potential carjacking to the things you have to look out for while you’re driving in Ecuador.> Police also report more robberies in El Centro in which thieves use various distraction techniques, usually involving two or three people, to steal cash and cell phones. Keep a tight grip on valuables when you are approached by strangers, they warn.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne
____________________

Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.