Chief medical officer advises caution amid latest COVID outbreak
By The Star Staff
Dr. Iris Cardona, the Department of Health’s chief medical officer, called for prudence on Tuesday during the upcoming end-of-the-year holidays given the data from the agency’s most recent report, which covers the period between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17, when 549 active outbreaks of COVID-19 were identified among families in various parts of the island.
“There is a high level of community transmission,” Cardona said in a radio interview. “We have changed from low … and that has implications for the entire population. I use the word ‘prudence’ -- we all already have the ability to decide how to face this, what activities to go to, as well as who we come into contact with and how to look for a way to protect ourselves and our families.”
The official called on citizens to choose vaccination, taking into account that only 33% of the population has their doses up to date.
Cardona ruled out for the moment suggesting that more drastic government measures be taken, such as the mandatory use of a mask in closed places.
“That’s always on the table,” she said. “However, already in the third year of the pandemic people must have learned and certainly the Department of Health has never stopped recommending the mask, and that is not bad, but everyone must have the ability to use it or not.”