key: cord-0801798-0hlavklz authors: Escobedo, Angel A.; Rodríguez-Morales, Alfonso J.; Almirall, Pedro; Almanza, Caridad; Rumbaut, Raisa title: SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19: evolution in the Caribbean islands date: 2020-08-27 journal: Travel Med Infect Dis DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101854 sha: 24a9d24640408fac4ec8c8c0391b1de427354b26 doc_id: 801798 cord_uid: 0hlavklz nan is a severe challenge to the Caribbean national health systems because of the limited capacity of -and access to-ICU departments, as severe cases of COVID-19 may require oxygen therapy, conservative fluid management, breathing support and supporting other affected vital organs [3, 6] . On the other hand, physicians engaged in diagnosing and treating this emerging infectious disease need to be well-trained and require standard protection from nosocomial transmission after their recurrent exposition. In Haiti, for example, only a selected number of Haitians understand that the virus can infect anyone regardless of religious background or ethnicity; many people believe that the virus is the result of sin and it is God's punishment on humans for their sinful ways, while others believe that the world's elite manufactured the illness to kill minorities and annihilate those in developing countries [4, 6] . Otherwise, there have been some rumours posted on social media, including that contaminated testing swabs transmit COVID-19 or that hospitals are using patients with COVID-19 for vaccine experiments. Another example is in the Dominican Republic, where panic led people to storm pharmacies and buy stocks of drugs such as hydroxychloroquine; thus thousands of rheumatoid arthritis and conservative fluid management, breathing support and supporting other affected vital organs [3, 6] . On the other hand, physicians engaged in diagnosing and treating this emerging infectious disease need to be well-trained and require standard protection from nosocomial transmission after their recurrent exposition. In Haiti, for example, only a selected number of Haitians understand that the virus can infect anyone regardless of religious background or ethnicity; many people believe that the virus is the result of sin and it is God's punishment on humans for their sinful ways, while others believe that the world's elite manufactured the illness to kill minorities and annihilate those in developing countries [4, 6] . Otherwise, there have been some rumours posted on social media, including that contaminated testing swabs transmit COVID-19 or that hospitals are using patients with COVID-19 for vaccine experiments. Another example is in the Dominican Republic, where panic led people to storm pharmacies and buy stocks of drugs such as hydroxychloroquine; thus thousands of rheumatoid arthritis and COVID-19 in Latin America: the implications of the first confirmed case in Brazil Prevención e identificación temprana de casos sospechosos COVID-19 en el primer nivel de atención en Centro América Consequences of a recent past dengue infection for acute and long-term chikungunya outcome: A retrospective cohort study in Curaçao Mirroring the Zika epidemics in Cuba: The view from a European imported diseases clinic Atrial arrhythmias in a patient presenting with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection Population ageing and sustainable development in the Caribbean: Where are we 15 years post MIPAA? COVID-19 in Latin America: the implications of the first confirmed case in Brazil Prevención e identificación temprana de casos sospechosos COVID-19 en el primer nivel de atención en Centro América Consequences of a recent past dengue infection for acute and long-term chikungunya outcome: A retrospective cohort study in Curaçao Mirroring the Zika epidemics in Cuba: The view from a European imported diseases clinic Atrial arrhythmias in a patient presenting with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection Population ageing and sustainable development in the Caribbean: Where are we 15 years post MIPAA?