Health Secretary Víctor Ramos confirmed Tuesday two additional deaths associated with the influenza virus in Puerto Rico, bringing to 85 the total number of fatalities so far in the 2025-2026 season, which began in June and runs through next July.

During the bi-weekly session of “En Record” on La Fortaleza, Ramos maintained his call to citizens to stop the chain of contagions during Christmas, reinforcing preventive measures and avoiding going to festive gatherings if they present symptoms.

Some of the main symptoms of influenza are fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle and body aches, headaches, and fatigue or tiredness.

According to data from the Department of Health, as of December 20, 28,763 cases of influenza had accumulated, representing an additional 3,700 compared to those reported as of December 13. 49.9% of the cases have been reported in the pediatric population (0-19 years).

The Ponce region continues to register the highest number of infections, with 6,363, followed by Caguas, with 5,458, and Metro, with 4,549.

Meanwhile, 2,151 hospitalizations have been documented and 315,633 doses of vaccine have been administered, an additional 14,633 versus the previous report, Ramos said. Of the 85 deaths, only three were vaccinated.

Despite the fact that, during this latest report - covering the period from December 14 to 20 - the warning threshold was again reached, as well as the epidemic threshold, Ramos maintained that it is not appropriate to declare an epidemic for the time being, since not all the criteria have been met. He warned again, however, that if no action is taken, “probably” an epidemic will have to be declared in 2026.

Equally essential, he said, is to practice continuous hand washing, stay at home if it is not necessary to be outdoors, use masks and avoid contact with sick people. The recommended isolation time is from one to five days, depending on the person’s condition and if the fever has ceased.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.