Special Report

Shutdown: The Coronavirus

Puerto Rico hospitals that turned away patients with Covid-19 symptoms will face penalties

Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Health, Lorenzo González Feliciano at yesterday’s press conference.

As Puerto Rico braces for a peak in coronavirus cases, the island’s health secretary yesterday said two hospitals will be investigated and fined for turning away patients that presented symptoms associated with Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel virus.

Lorenzo González Feliciano said he ordered an investigation into the hospitals, including one designated by the government to care for Covid-19 patients, and assured the institutions will be referred to Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice.

“There was an investigation,” said González Feliciano during a press briefing. “The paramedics in question are interviewed, the relatives are interviewed and I think the patient, and a determination is made. The two facilities will have penalties, both a fine and a referral to the Department of Justice.”

Puerto Rico has reported 286 cases of the coronavirus and 11 deaths as of Wednesday. 

González Feliciano said early yesterday that preliminary estimates indicate the peak in coronavirus cases in the island will be on May 8. He added that Puerto Rico’s Department of Health will track people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in order to have a clearer projection. 

The secretary said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 200,000 rapid tests for coronavirus acquired by the local government. Puerto Rico bought the test kits before confirming they met the agency’s approval, and the rapid tests have been sitting in an airport in the U.S. mainland. These tests require a prick of the finger and can deliver results within an hour.

Wearing a blue surgical face mask, González Feliciano warned that Puerto Rico lacks ventilators, heeding that the island is competing with the U.S. mainland for the crucial equipment. He said there “is no guarantee” that the ventilators will arrive. 

“It’s important to know that, regardless of what has been ordered, very little, if not nothing, has arrived to Puerto Rico because a lot is in the production process and the other thing is that there is significant demand from all 50 states for this type of equipment,” he said. 

He said Puerto Rico has about 500 ventilators available, and the costs of the ventilators bought by the local government range from $18,000 to $30,000. 

Meanwhile, Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced yesterday ordered an audit in Puerto Rico’s Department of Health after González Feliciano informed her about the discovery of expired medication. Vázquez Garced did not detail the quantity or what type of medication was found. 

“The secretary of the Department of Health, Lorenzo González Feliciano, today informed me about an inventory of expired medications in the department,” Vázquez Garced said in a written statement. “As soon as we became aware of this today, I instructed the recently confirmed Secretary of Health to carry out the required forensic audit and refer it to the appropriate authorities.”

Puerto Rico’s Department of Health is embroiled in controversy amid the coronavirus outbreak. Concepción Quiñones de Longo, González Feliciano’s predecessor, revealed federal authorities are investigating the agency for contract management and the acquisition and distribution of Covid-19 tests, according to local newspaper El Nuevo Día. Quiñones de Longo singled out an executive assistant in the agency as the person responsible for the mismanagement of hundreds of tests. 

González Feliciano on Monday fired Mabel Cabeza and yesterday assured she “has no place in the system.” Cabeza was chief of staff while former Secretary of Health Rafael Rodrígurez Mercado served. Rodríguez Mercado resigned last month after facing criticism over the distribution of tests.

 

Author


Tags


Other Stories in Special Report: Shutdown: The Coronavirus

Life returns to the East Village

Quincy Walter May 5, 2021

Reopening for Ramadan

Hassan Abbas May 4, 2021

And the band played on

Xavier Bartaburu May 2, 2021

Queens residents mourn at Covid vigil

Annie Burky May 2, 2021

Floating for Free: COVID and the Staten Island Ferry

Trish Rooney May 2, 2021

COVID-19 has left many Black and Hispanic landlords in serious debt

Norah Hogan April 24, 2021

Village East movie theater reopens to the public

Inga Parkel April 13, 2021

Chinese adoptions halted by COVID

Inga Parkel March 24, 2021

Remote is the new workplace normal

Courtney Guarino March 24, 2021

One year of COVID-19 in New York City

Michelle Diaz March 16, 2021

COVID long haulers deal with lingering symptoms and doubt

Kaity Assaf March 5, 2021

Pandemic Weddings

Chuyan Jiang March 2, 2021

Pandemic fatigue 101

Chuyan Jiang February 28, 2021

Yankee Stadium becomes COVID-19 vaccine site for Bronx residents only

Michelle Diaz February 24, 2021

The queer community rallies behind their sacred spaces closed because of COVID-19

Inga Parkel February 23, 2021

Street vendors struggle as New Yorkers and tourists stay home

Norah Hogan February 13, 2021

Keeping the faith in COVID-19

Courtney Guarino February 3, 2021

Little Italy’s restaurants need indoor dining to survive pandemic

Michelle Diaz February 2, 2021

Stray pets find homes and love during pandemic

Inga Parkel February 1, 2021

No Actors, But the Show Goes On

James Pothen December 5, 2020

New York City, a place of refuge 

Edith Rousselot December 4, 2020

Commuting in a pandemic world

Michelle Diaz December 3, 2020

Battling food insecurities during a pandemic

Courtney Guarino December 3, 2020

Adaptation

Justin McGown December 3, 2020

Honk!: Cars earn a special spot in 2020

Luana Harumi December 3, 2020

Working out looks very different during a pandemic

Chuyan Jiang December 2, 2020

One kitchen’s transformation in the age of isolation

Isabel Beer December 2, 2020

Nursing homes are filled with sadness and loss during pandemic shut down

Inga Parkel December 1, 2020

The show goes on

Norah Hogan December 1, 2020

Loyal members help keep independent cinemas afloat

Courtney Guarino December 1, 2020

Musicians deal with the reality of no live shows as covid takes center stage

Paola Michelle Ortiz December 1, 2020

 Black Friday’s Aftermath

Sughnen Yongo November 30, 2020

The Spirit of Little Haiti

Savannah Daniels October 14, 2020

Small business owners hope for future relief

Courtney Guarino October 2, 2020

Brooklyn Book Festival held virtually

Chuyan Jiang September 28, 2020

NYC Restaurant owners worry about maintaining business during winter 

Isabel Beer September 27, 2020

The pandemic is causing mental health struggles for many Latinos

Paola Michelle Ortiz September 24, 2020

Politically divided family can agree on one thing, rallies are bad during a pandemic

Michelle Diaz September 23, 2020

New Yorkers are vulnerable to mental issues due to pandemic

Sughnen Yongo September 23, 2020

Healthcare professionals struggle with Trump’s decisions during pandemic

Tori Luecking September 23, 2020

Some Americans Say “Not So Fast” on Operation Warp Speed

James Pothen September 23, 2020

Trump voters unfazed by morality of Trump’s Covid response

Norah Hogan September 22, 2020

Trump rallies continue, despite the rising Covid-19 death toll

Isabel Beer September 22, 2020

Latinos weigh in on President Trump’s management of the pandemic

Paola Michelle Ortiz September 21, 2020

Fast track vaccine causes fear

Kaity Assaf September 21, 2020

It’s business as usual at McSorley’s Old Ale House

Tori Luecking September 20, 2020

Trump defiance to hold indoor rallies amidst COVID-19 sparks polarized responses 

Courtney Guarino September 20, 2020

NYC Cafes and restaurants try and survive the pandemic

Isabel Beer September 19, 2020

A typical afternoon at Shade Bar NYC

Kaity Assaf September 19, 2020

West Village staple, Caffe Reggio, remains open for outdoor dining in the wake of coronavirus restrictions 

Norah Hogan September 19, 2020