PCR testing in domestic flights to Galapagos Islands during the COVID-19 pandemic: an effective public policy to control SARS-CoV-2 spread in remote and vulnerable populations

Dr Diana Morales-Jadán

qualifications: PhD

contribution: Acquisition of data, Analysis and interpretation of data

Bioquimica Farmaceutica, Magister en Biotecnologia Avanzada PhD Biologia celular y molecular, biotecnologia y biomedicina.

Mr Bernardo Castro-Rodriguez

contribution: Acquisition of data, Analysis and interpretation of data

position: PhD Student

* PhD candidate of Public and Animal Health - Universidad de Extremadura, Spain. * Master of Infectious Diseases - University of Western Australia, Australia. * BSc. Biology - Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador, Ecuador.

Mr Angel Sebastian Rodriguez-Pazmiño

qualifications: MSc

contribution: Acquisition of data, Analysis and interpretation of data

position: Laboratory Technician

Prof Esteban Ortiz Prado

qualifications: MD, PhD

contribution: Study conception and design, Drafting of manuscript, Critical revision

position: Professor

Esteban Ortiz-Prado is a highly accomplished medical professional with a broad range of experiences and achievements. He completed his medical training in Ecuador and then secured a fully-paid NIH scholarship to pursue his Masters in Medical Science in Canada, specializing in hypoxia physiology. During his training, he attended several courses related to high altitude physiology, underwater physiology, and clinical investigation in the US and Canada. After returning to Ecuador, he worked as a medical resident for 18 months in the biggest publicly funded Specialization Hospital in Quito, Ecuador. He was involved in several clinical research projects during this time. In 2012, he was offered a full-time job as a senior scientific advisor to the Minister of Higher Education and Science in Ecuador. In this role, he helped create, observe and improve the biomedical public policy related to clinical and biomedical research. From 2013-2015, he competed for and was awarded the position of manager of the research and development department of Enfarma EP, the only government-funded pharmaceutical company in Ecuador. In this role, he led more than 30 R+D+I projects from discovery to Phase II-III clinical trials on the first Ecuadorian-made Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and Hib vaccine. He also collected data on the pharmaceutical market and published the first article and book on the local and regional pharmaceutical market in Ecuador. In 2015, he was appointed as a staff professor at Universidad de la Americas (UDLA) in Quito, Ecuador. He founded the “One Health Global Research Group” center, which studies emergent, re-emergent and zoonotic diseases in Ecuador. This group has become well-recognized with over 200 publications to date. Esteban Ortiz-Prado was the first PhD student to take part in the Biomedicine Doctoral Program from Universitat de Barcelona to complete his PhD in Biomedicine in conjunction with his co-supervisor at UDLA in the field of tropical medicine. He was also the only medical doctor to pursue a full-time government-funded scholarship to study Global Health in Southampton, UK, obtaining the competitive Chevening scholarship. In 2020, he became the top scientific leader in Ecuador to study COVID-19, publishing over 35 articles on this disease and becoming one of the top 20 most prolific COVID-19-related researchers in Latin America, and the first one in Ecuador. He also became the best-known scientific and medical communicator during the pandemic, encouraging people to take care of themselves and take preventive measures, promoting health-related preventive practices, and hosting a prime-time health-related TV show and a health-related FM radio program. Throughout his academic career, Esteban Ortiz-Prado has actively participated in research projects with national and international funding, publishing more than 100 scientific articles and two book

Prof Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain

qualifications: PhD

contribution: Study conception and design, Acquisition of data, Acquisition of data, Analysis and interpretation of data, Analysis and interpretation of data, Drafting of manuscript

position: Professor