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This Wednesday, the Minister of Health, Jaime Mañalich, ruled out taking a step aside after being questioned about the possibility of departing from the Ministry’s communications, after the multiple controversies that have led to his statements in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic .
In this regard, he replied that “Obviously I am fully aware of my shortcomings and the few virtues I may have, but what I have absolutely clear is that this is the time when I have to be in charge of the Ministry of Health.”
The latter, in order to “do everything possible, whatever is in my effort and the entire team that accompanies us -which has been congratulated by international authorities to the point of exhaustion- to move Chile forward as I think it is beginning to seeing themselves in a very serious situation, of risk to people’s health, with the understanding that this is not a thing that comes and goes. “
He stressed that the situation is accompanied by a peak of new infections, and in 3 or 4 weeks by an increase in the number of deaths. In this context, he expressed that his willingness to communicate these matters related to the pandemic on behalf of the Minsal and the Government “It is absolutely unscathed.”
Heavy duty on weak shoulders
“I am sorry if there are people who have become offended, but what I want to reiterate is that indeed – and sorry to use this illustration of my training at school – it is extremely complex to be in charge of Chilean health and health of all Chileans, it is a very heavy task on very weak shoulders“He expressed.
He added that “obviously in this difficulty, we all make mistakes” and pointed out that “here it is not in judgment whether the surgeon who is doing this operation is actually a surgeon who is medium heavy or sympathetic. The crucial question is, is this surgeon, or this doctor, or this minister, going to be able to hit the crap or not? ”
He recalled in this regard that “this is a task for all Chileans, for all authorities, no one, not even an ordinary citizen, can excuse himself for the responsibility he has for today.”
In this sense, he questioned that “we have situations in which people say ‘we want a total quarantine’ without dimensioning exactly the damage that such a measure can cause to themselves and others in terms of food, health, poverty, unemployment, and that in the same place there is no decision to work seriously for social isolation, for wearing a mask, for washing hands, for respecting the curfew, for respecting quarantine. ”
School closings
Regarding the controversy over his opinions regarding the closure of schools to face the pandemic, he said that “It is known, and I have repeated it, that in my opinion the right time to finish or to make the school break was approximately 15 days after what was done.”
“However, that discussion was discussed with a group of ministers, with the President of the Republic, with the committee of experts, with the mayors, and the Government as one only made a decision, and that decision is the one that is worth”, held, limiting that “Obviously I would have wished as a Health Minister to have had a few more days of preparation for this cut in children’s attendance at classes.”
Now, he indicated, the opposite is being discussed: balancing the risks and benefits of the return of schoolchildren, which is the program to implement, among other edges.
84% of target population vaccinated against influenza
Regarding the controversy over vaccinations, Mañalich highlighted that 84% of the initially traced target population would already be vaccinated against influenza, one month after the campaign began.
In this context, to date 61% of vaccinated children are counted, Mañalich said, explaining that the target population increased, including police, gendarmes, inmates in jails, among other people, hoping that through clinics and eventually in schools the campaign for minors can be accelerated.
In any case, he stressed that for the Government “The goal is already accomplished”, given that they expected to vaccinate 80% of the target population, a figure that has already been exceeded.
However, he indicated that they still need to better cover the target population in terms of pregnant women and children.
Regarding the latter, he reiterated that the Government intended that the groups incorporated into the influenza group this year, and that they were not the previous year, be vaccinated in their schools, which could not be achieved.
For this reason, “we had a massive arrival at the Family Health Centers of children and parents who accompanied their children rather, seeking their vaccination.”
They considered that this was “inconvenient”, due to the crowds that formed putting at risk the most vulnerable people to Covid-19, so the children were called not to be vaccinated. However, called on parents to take their children from risk groups to Family Health Centers to immunize them, stating that this is “the time”, in case you do not return to classroom classes as soon as possible.
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