Today, the Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion of the Ministry of Health in Mexico, Hugo López-Gatell, reported that
there is now a case of coronavirus infection in Mexico.
The patient, already diagnosed with COVID-19, resides in Mexico City, is 35 years old, and recently traveled to northern Italy.
Currently, the patient is in isolation at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER) and presents mild symptoms.
The patient’s family is also isolated and currently not showing any symptoms.
The coronavirus case was confirmed after two positive tests for the virus, which were processed at both INER and the Institute of Epidemiological Diagnosis and Reference (InDre) to be corroborated.
There is another case of a 41-year-old man in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, who has already undergone a diagnostic test that came back positive in a state laboratory and is awaiting confirmation by InDre.
This person is isolated in a hotel.
In recent days, epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch from Harvard University predicted that
“The coronavirus cannot be contained and that within approximately one year, 40% to 70% of humanity will have been infected.”
However, he added that we should not be alarmed, as the majority of cases will be mild or even asymptomatic.
Laboratory tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the disease, are known as real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) diagnostic panels.
These tests detect specific parts of the virus in samples of secretions from the upper and lower respiratory tracts.
It is important to note that various institutions are working on the development of different and more effective laboratory methods, as the sensitivity of the RT-PCR test is relatively low, ranging from 60% to 71%.
That means if the RT-PCR test is performed on 100 infected patients, 60 to 71 will test positive and 29 to 40 will test negative, despite being infected, so sometimes it is necessary to repeat the test several times if there is suspicion of the disease.
Due to the above, the North American Radiological Society, in a statement issued yesterday, emphasizes the importance of computed tomography in the diagnosis of COVID-19.
As in a recent article in their Radiology journal, computed tomography had a sensitivity of 98%.
That is, it detects the disease in 98 out of every 100 patients, supporting its use for detecting the disease, especially in patients with symptoms who test negative on the laboratory test.
Teleradiology: The Key to Overcoming Medical Challenges in Mexico
The medical situation in Mexico demands innovative solutions to address the lack of adequate resources and trained personnel in certain areas. Teleradiology presents itself as a vital tool to overcome these challenges and improve patient care. By distributing images from hospital centers that lack the necessary radiological expertise, it can help provide accurate and timely diagnoses to patients in need.
Teleradiology can also facilitate remote consultations and help radiologists collaborate across geographic boundaries. As the healthcare system in Mexico continues to evolve, teleradiology has the potential to play an increasingly important role in delivering quality healthcare to all patients.
