The Ministerio de Salud (Ministry of Health) reported today, Thursday, that is analyzing what appears to be the first suspected case of the new coronavirus, Covid-19
The patient is a 52-year-old Costa Rican woman, a resident of Pococí, in Limón, who was in Italy and Tunisia with her husband, returning to the country on February 29 with no respiratory symptoms, but who presented them later.
Her husband shows no symptoms.
The case is classified as suspicious after the respiratory panel (FilmArray) gave a negative, ruling out that the symptoms are due to another type of respiratory virus.
As reported by the Ministry of Health in a press release, all isolation and care protocols were activated for the patient, who remains isolated in her house.
No further details were given. The Ministry of Health said only that the samples were taken this morning and were sent to the Costa Rican Institute of Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health (Incense) to perform the molecular biology test established to confirm or rule out the diagnosis of Covid-19.
The results will be announced as soon as they are ready. Health authorities indicated, a few days ago, that it would take from 12 to 24 to obtain the results.
Meanwhile, Health personnel are investigating whom the woman had contact with on her return to Costa Rica
“The country has been preparing for this moment for several weeks, with the aim of protecting public health through an articulated work between several institutions,” reiterated Daniel Salas, Minister of Health.
In Latin America, oMexico (5), Brazil (3), Ecuador (13), Argentina (1) and Chile (1) have reported confirmed cases the virus and no deaths.
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