The Ministry of Health reported that to date there is no evidence of circulation in the Dominican Republic of the subvariant BA.3.2 of SARS-CoV-2, called “Cicada”.
In a press release they indicated that, according to the data generated by the national sentinel surveillance system and the laboratory network, “the presence of this subvariant has not been identified in the country, maintaining active, continuous and evidence-based epidemiological surveillance for the timely detection of emerging variants.”
During the first 12 epidemiological weeks of 2026, a dynamic of sustained circulation of respiratory viruses has been observed, with a predominance of influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) and influenza B, the latter addressed through a vaccination strategy initiated at the end of the previous year, aimed at reducing the burden of disease in the population.
The presence of other respiratory viruses such as adenovirus and parainfluenza has also been recorded, which shows that several viruses are circulating at the same timein accordance with what is expected at this time of year.
The Vice Minister of Collective Health, Eladio Pérez, highlighted that “The sentinel surveillance that we implement at the national level allows us to maintain detection early and timely of respiratory events, including the identification of new variants, which strengthens the response capacity of the health system.”
In that sense, the Ministry of Public Health “reaffirms that decision-making is based on epidemiological data in real timeintegrating information from the hospital epidemiology services, the Provincial Directorates and Health Areas (DPS/DAS), and the national network of laboratories.”
As general preventive measures against the circulation of respiratory viruses, Frequent hand washing is recommended to the population, especially before eating and after using the bathroom.
The use of a mask is also recommended in the presence of respiratory symptoms. Furthermore, it must be maintained physical distancing in case of illness and go promptly to health services in case of warning signs.
