Cooperación diagnóstica de emergencia en la pandemia COVID-19

espanolDurante los ultimos meses hemos vivido una situacion sanitaria excepcional en la que la aparicion de un nuevo patogeno altamente transmisible ha colapsado los sistemas de salud y de vigilancia de muchos paises. En las primeras fases de la pandemia de COVID-19 resulto evidente que una gestion eficaz de esta crisis requeria informacion sobre el estado infectivo de la poblacion. Ante la evidente saturacion de la capacidad diagnostica de nuestro pais, en la Facultad de Veterinaria de la UCM nace una iniciativa de apoyo al sistema sanitario que cristaliza en forma de red de laboratorios dedicados a la realizacion de tests PCR para deteccion del virus SARS-CoV-2. Su actividad se centra en el grupo mas vulnerable de nuestra region: los ancianos de las residencias de mayores de la Comunidad de Madrid. Tras tres meses de trabajo, la informacion aportada por la red ha contribuido a la correcta gestion epidemiologica de estos centros, ayudando a los sanitarios a prevenir nuevas infecciones y, en definitiva, a salvar vidas. Esta es la historia de como un grupo de investigadores de diferentes ramas se unen de forma desinteresada para apoyar a un sistema sanitario sometido a un nivel de exigencia inesperado y extremo con un unico objetivo en mente: ayudar. EnglishIn recent months we have experienced an exceptional health situation in which the appearance of a new highly communicable pathogen has collapsed the health and surveillance systems of many countries. In the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that effective management of this crisis required information on the infective status of the population. Faced with the evident saturation of the diagnostic capacity of our country, an initiative to support the health system was born at the UCM Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, which crystallizes in the form of a network of laboratories dedicated to carrying out PCR tests for detection of the SARS-CoV virus. -2. Its activity is focused on the most vulnerable group in our region: the elderly in nursing homes in the Community of Madrid. After three months of work, the information provided by the network has contributed to the correct epidemiological management of these centers, helping health workers to prevent new infections and, ultimately, to save lives. This is the story of how a group of researchers from different branches they unselfishly come together to support a healthcare system subjected to an unexpected and extreme level of demand with a single goal in mind: to help.