The director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine and Global Health at Ibero-American University (Unibe) attributes to three components the increase the coronavirus infection is experiencing, which sets new records in infected people.
Virologist Robert Paulino believes that the first cause was the change in the authorities’ rhetoric when they assured they were in control of the pandemic.
The medical professional recalled that prior to that official message there was a population that was moderately involved in prevention, and suddenly they were told not to worry because everything was under control.
Interviewed by Héctor Herrera Cabral on the D´AGENDA program broadcast every Sunday by Telesistema Canal 11, Dr. Paulino also provides the facilities that the government provides for people to vacation in the resorts of the country’s tourist centers.
He added that people were allowed to socialize and that’s what doesn’t want to happen with a respiratory transmission, as with the coronavirus.
“So the rhetoric of decision-makers has a negative impact on the population,” said the biologist specializing in virology.
He recognized that current management must activate the economy, as the country has been suffering from a pandemic for almost a year and we need to find a way to boost productive activity.
“However, to a population already tired of suddenly saying, we’re going to stimulate, we’re going out, we’re going to do it, it means we’re taking advantage of Christmas and we’re getting together, so people did that,” he explained.
Dr. Robert Paulino argued that this caused an increase in transmission speed, increased the number of cases, and now the results of all that is being seen.
So a third element that could arise, and has yet to be confirmed, in addition to what is being caused in the UK, the Dominican Republic or our entire region, because the United States has a trend very similar to ours , something has happened genetically in the virus that has increased its transmissibility, ”warned the virologist.
He argued that this hypothesis can be theoretically confirmed because an increase in the basic reproduction rate of the virus has been observed and is clearly seen and observed.
“So there are three variables that I think should be analyzed one by one, and there are two that can be adjusted and changed gradually, the viral genetic variables cannot be changed, but those of behavior, social engagement and mobilization. . to the answer to a pandemic if they can be adapted, ”he explained.
Has a mutation every 15 days
The expert assured that the coronavirus has a mutation every 15 days.
“Every 15 days the virus changes, they add new mutations, but the mutations don’t have any expression, that means they are not beneficial or bad for the virus, but they are changes,” the doctor clarified.
He added that the question posed by experts is whether there could be a change in these mutations turning into profit, and indeed they have been found.
He explained that the variants of interest identified in the city of London show that viruses, and this in particular, are changing elements that adapt according to the pressure put on them.
“If your only function is to multiply yourself, then you’re going to do everything you can to multiply yourself, and in the case of viruses, their function is to multiply you,” assured Dr. Paulino.