Massive testing in the Galapagos Islands and low positivity rate to control SARS-CoV-2 spread during the first semester of the COVID-19 pandemic: a story of success for Ecuador and South America.

INTRODUCTION: During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America, countries like Ecuador, Peru and Colombia experienced chaotic scenarios with public health systems collapsing and lack of testing capacity to control the spread of the virus. In main cities like Guayaquil in Ecuador, dramatic situations such as corpses in the streets were internationally broadcasted. METHODS: While the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating South America, SARS-CoV-2 transmission was successfully managed in the Galapagos Islands due to the implementation of a massive screening strategy including hospitalized and community-dwelling populations, and travel restrictions facilitated by its geographical location (972 km from the Ecuadorian continental territory). Floreana Island was one of the few locations in the world that remained COVID-19 free during 2020. RESULTS: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the data related to SARS-CoV-2 massive testing campaigns from April to September 2020 in the Galapagos Islands, and found this territory to have the lowest positivity rate in South America (4.8-6.7%) and the highest testing ratio among Ecuadorian provinces (9.87% of the population, which is 2480 out of 25 124 inhabitants) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: This story of success was possible because of the interinstitutional collaboration between the regional government of Galapagos Islands (Consejo de Gobierno), the local authorities (Gobiernos Autonomos Descentralizados de Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela), the regional authorities from Ecuadorian Ministry of Health, the Agencia de Regulación y Control de la Bioseguridad y Cuarentena para Galápagos and Universidad de Las Américas.

Terapeuticas noffarmacologicas en jovenes y adutos con discapacidad, desde la atencion primaria de salud / Non pharmacologic therapeutics in young and adults with incapacity from Primary Health Care

Buscando mejorar la calidad de vida en un grupo de jóvenes y adultos con discapacidad, se decide crear un taller comunitario compuesto por 15 miembros, en el cual se aplican técnicas de enfoque multidisciplinario, que han garantizado la plena reinserción social de los miembros que componen este colectivo. Para este artículo se realiza un corte longitudinal a lo largo de 3 años que muestra la evolución satisfactoria de este grupo a partir de la aplicación de las diferentes terapias establecidas.

In order to improve the quality of life of several disabled persons, a community group was created with 15 members, in which several multidisciplinary techniques were applied to guarantee the full social reinsertion of the participants. This article describes results of the work done during 8 years, showing the satisfactory evolution of the group due to the application of the different established therapies.