Okay, trying to catch up on Baja - will start with Omicron then move on a bit later with the drug war events.
Angela Torres Lozano of Zeta has been religiously and accurately reporting on COVID-19 developments in Baja for months. There is at least one private news source which is basically run by the real estate developers coming out of Rosarito Beach which seems to be in a state of denial about the pandemic's effects locally.
However, you can always go to Zeta for the latest details, as in this report on Baja Sur (which may make you reconsider driving down to Mulege or even Loreto).
Omicron in Baja California
~ From Zeta:
Estiman 12 Mil Contagios Mas Por Omicron
Destacados - Ángela Torres Lozano - viernes, 14 enero, 2022 5:22 PM
Health authorities agree with the international health sector: the fourth wave of the pandemic caused by the new variant of the virus and the winter season is on the rise and they will not be able to control it until April 2022. While citizens are waiting in long lines to undergo a test, the vaccination points are extended to children under 14 years of age
“I finally rested today. On Monday and Tuesday I was doing the COVID-19 tests on everyone who came to the clinic, I treated between 30 and 50 people by myself, because I don't have staff and almost all of them were from IMSS," one of the doctors confessed to ZETA . in the fever clinics of the Ministry of Health.
Since last week, an increase in visits to the fever clinics and the respiratory filters of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) has been documented, but the situation has gotten out of control, due to the fact that more than a thousand daily infections continued and more than 6 thousand active cases, reaching new record figures that forced the state government to take measures, such as changing the epidemiological traffic light to Orange, recommending the vaccination certificate and, above all, what they tried to avoid by complying with the federal mandate: postpone the return to face-to-face classes.
People no longer went only to the filters of clinics 7 and 27 to take the test, but, given the saturation and long waiting times, the beneficiaries began to go to the fever clinics.
“As it took a long time to be treated at the IMSS, they began to come here. We cannot deny them care, we are not going to do it, but we are saturated and many only come for the voucher or in search of disability, so, in any case, they must stand in line,” said the doctor approached by this Weekly.
CLOSE OFFICES, OPEN MORE FILTERS
In a tour carried out by ZETA , it was found that in Clinic 27 they had to modify, again, the clinics to provide care to the population. Outside, three rows left the compound.
One went up the bridge that crosses Bulevar Díaz Ordaz, it was for “Unifila” patients, that is, those who need a consultation for something other than COVID-19, but do not have an appointment, so they have to wait to be seen by a doctor on duty, and not precisely the one corresponding to their offices.
Then there are the other two: those who have symptoms and are waiting to be tested for COVID-19, and those who have already tested positive and need to process their disability. Both rows turned to Boulevard Sánchez Taboada, on the train tracks, and between the three they accumulate several hundred people who wait for hours to be served.
According to information obtained by ZETA , on Tuesday, January 11, 785 patients were treated in the two shifts of Clinic 27, of which 221 were positive in the morning and 281 in the afternoon, that is, 63 percent of those who managed to attend had COVID-19, with 15 doctors providing care on each shift.
On Wednesday, the number of services rose to 877, with 629 infected, that is, 71% positivity in both shifts.
“Even so, about 60 people were left outside and pending capture, but valued, about 50; we rise exponentially and it will continue like this, ”said a doctor of the respiratory filter.
On January 12, more offices were closed for the rest of the population, so there were already 30 doctors on each shift, but the line continued endlessly, where if you did not have COVID19, it was very likely to acquire it once there.
This led many to go to the health centers established as fever clinics, but since the Mariano Matamoros subdivision was closed, many went to the Francisco Villa neighborhood, in order to obtain their test.
During ZETA 's tour of the Mariano clinic, it was observed how a couple of women came to be treated, but the security guard warned them that there was no doctor, so they had to return on Thursday, or go to their right-hand clinic. .
“Do you have Social Security? What happens is that right now we don't have a doctor, so we are inviting those who have Insurance (IMSS) to go to their clinics, because we can't process their disability, which I imagine they need at work," they told them. He kindly explained, to which they answered yes, since they needed the positive test to start the process.
Authorities informed this Weekly that by reinforcing the vaccination days, part of the personnel in the health centers, including the fever clinics, were directed to help, so these places were left without employees, despite the increase in visits.
"We were few, per se, and only two of us who were trained to do the tests, now there is only a nurse, the security guard and me," the source mentioned.
Likewise, all those who arrived were sent to the other places.
WAITING LIST
Others preferred to pay instead of wasting time in the queues, for which the private laboratories registered a high influx of suspects of contagion.
Some even increased their prices: one thousand pesos for the antigen test and between 2,600 and 3,500 pesos for the PCR test; while those certified by the Ministry of Health, such as Certus and Gamboa , maintained their prices between 680 pesos for antigens and 1,800 pesos for PCR.
However, to avoid the long lines, clinics in stores such as Abarrotes El Florido, chose to give appointments to those who wanted to take the test for antiques, to avoid crowds in front of the premises and with it more infections.
They are currently attending 30 to 50 people per office, although not all of them apply it, because in tours, branches such as Los Pinos, Las Brisas and Fraccionamiento El Florido, people were attended directly due to the lack of people.
FOURTH WAVE BARELY ON THE RISE
Óscar Efrén Zazueta Fierro, head of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health, announced during the “morning” of the state government that the fourth wave of COVID-19 is just beginning.
He explained that according to a mathematical projection carried out by the University of Washington in the United States, the new peak of this wave of infections is expected to arrive in February and last until the end of March or April, when a plateau is achieved and then start the decrease, due to the ease of contagion of the Omicron variant (of the SARS-CoV-2 virus), since of each person infected with it, it infects ten, and despite the fact that patients present milder symptoms, those who have not been vaccinated are at higher risk of being hospitalized.
In a conference, the specialist warned that although hospital occupation has been maintained, and even decreased in some epidemiological weeks - it remains between 62 and 70% -, if mobility continues, there is a high probability that the health system will return to collapse, since record figures continue to be registered in infections and active cases.
RECULAN WITH PRESENTIAL CLASSES
On Monday, January 10, Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda announced the return to the Orange level epidemiological traffic light, before the Federation updates it, since more than a thousand infections began to be registered on average in 24 hours.
Part of the objectives was to stop the increase in cases to reopen schools to face-to-face classes, as ordered by the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and the State tried to defend despite the fact that the situation was already getting out of control.
The state president announced that face-to-face classes in basic education were postponed again, although they will continue in a hybrid way, as has been handled since 2021.
Likewise, it did not give an estimated date to resume the provision, and the number of teachers, administrative staff and students currently infected was not disclosed, despite the fact that this Weekly requested the information on several occasions.
The State Secretary of Health himself, José Adrián Medina Amarillas, admitted that it was not consistent to request home protection and reduce the capacity in shops, when minors were allowed to go to class, despite being an essential activity.
Teachers were dissatisfied and uncertain about what would happen to face-to-face classes, although against returning not only because not everyone has received the vaccine booster or the lack of payment to interims, but also because of contagion.
“They haven't told us anything, there are rumors that we're not going to come back, but not even the director knows what's up. In the school of other compañeras they have already been told no, because their director and administrators tested positive, but in particular I do not agree, the risk is great, I do not understand the nonsense, ”said Nidia Robledo, a secondary school teacher.
REINFORCE VACCINATION
Another of the measures taken by the State to contain infections is the reinforcement of vaccination days. In each municipality there will be an evening headquarters that will work on weekends, while in cities such as Tijuana and Mexicali, more venues will be set up.
In Tijuana, the Sustainable Mobility Institute (IMOS) was re-enabled, which had ceased to be used due to lack of personnel and furniture, in addition to the fact that the use of the property is uncertain since the administration of Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda began.
Likewise, Sanitary Jurisdiction Number 2 serves as permanent or evening headquarters most of the time, although sometimes it is changed to the Municipal Palace; while in Mexicali, the Plaza Mandarin is used for such purposes.
Last week the reinforcement application was authorized for people over 40 years of age and yesterday, Thursday the 13th, vaccination for children under 13 years of age was authorized, which has led to queues of more than three hours in different places to obtain immunization.
On the other hand, mobility has decreased very little despite the warnings, merchants and restaurateurs told ZETA , who have resented the lack of customers, but those who arrive do not comply with all sanitary measures either.
“At this point and with what we know about the pandemic, there are still people who get upset if we ask them to wear a mask when they are not at their table, or they want to enter the place just like that,” said a waiter."
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So far, we have not noticed the general public wearing legitimate N95 masks as recommended by the CDC for maximum protection. Notice the video of counterfeit N95's on this link which most likely will be making an appearance down here.
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Update/edit: Adding this, must watch...!
Bravo Leonardo !
Hit the link to watch the video...
~ From Index Journal: 01/17/22
TV Host Blasts Anti-Vaxxers In Expletive-Filled On-Air Rant
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