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Cuba: with better numbers, but we cannot be complacent

The Cuban government follows in detail the evolution of the pandemic.

HAVANA, Cuba.- As every afternoon since the beginning of March, the President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz led the meeting of the temporary working group for the prevention and control of the new coronavirus, an inviolable appointment in the Palace of Revolution since the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in Cuba, a dangerous disease confirmed until this Wednesday in 1,467 people in the national territory.

Near the end of a day marked on the island by encouraging numbers, with 30 cases in the day, 42 medical discharges, no death and the closure of a local transmission event, Public Health Minister Jose Angel Portal Miranda explained to the top leadership of the country the international context of the pandemic, which counts more than 2 million 982 thousand patients, with 210 thousand 193 deceased. The situation in the Americas region also remains tense, reporting 40.74% of the total cases in the world.

In the midst of this complex scenario, Cuba continues its confrontation with COVID-19 with a care scheme including 8 thousand 093 people admitted for care and surveillance, of which 2 thousand 183 in hospitals and the rest in isolation centers; another 6,839 followed closely by Primary Health Care; over 4 million 141 thousand 868 Cubans surveyed in the last day, among these one million 509 thousand 128 older adults.

Portal Miranda detailed that on Wednesday the event of transmission at Argentina People’s Council, in Florida municipality was closed, which was quarantined with a population of 11 thousand 035 inhabitants and five positive cases. Thus, 38 similar events remain active in the country.

However, the Minister added that in the next few hours two more events must be concluded: that of Camilo Cienfuegos community, in Consolacion municipality, in Pinar del Rio; and that of Naranjal, in Matanzas.

The Minister of Public Health confirmed that the territories with the highest rates of incidence of positive cases of COVID-19 per 100 thousand inhabitants remain the Island of Youth with 39 confirmed, Havana, 628, Villa Clara, 189, Ciego de Avila, 82, Matanzas, 109, and Sancti Spíritus, 61.

Precisely because of these numbers, Havana, Villa Clara and Matanzas provinces rendered an account again at the meeting again. In the case of the capital, Governor Reinaldo Garcia Zapata stated that the highest number of PCR diagnostic tests performed to date was reached on Tuesday with 899 in a day. Meanwhile, 1,097 people remain in hospitals and 1,089 in isolation centers.

In his presentation Havana Governor explained the strategy to dedicate new hospitals to COVID-19 patient care and further decongesting health institutions; as well as other issues related to food distribution, which will have better levels in May.

On the latter topic, Diaz-Canel indicated to follow the analysis with CIMEX Corporation, “because there is a lot of dissatisfaction with Tuenvio.cu platform, from people who have been with requests and orders for several days, and yet the platform has not been able to give them answers; that has undoubtedly taken away credibility and created disgust.”

For his part, the Governor of Villa Clara, Alberto Lopez Diaz, updated on the situation with the transmission event occurred at the Nursing Home Nr.3 in Santa Clara, in which all the measures indicated for the care of grandparents and workers are fulfilled. To this day, Lopez Diaz reported, 16 medical discharges have been given, 10 of them to the elderly.

At the time of writing this note, two grandparents remained critical but stable; the rest was in care; and unfortunately two had died.

On this sensitive issue, the Prime Minister remarked that governors across the country need to pay special attention to nursing homes, social institutions, psychiatric hospitals and centers for wandering, mainly in health care, food and hygiene issues.

Later, Matanzas Governor Mario Sabines Lorenzo offered details about what happened at the hospital in Cardenas, where 27 people, including patients, workers and companions, became infected with COVID-19 when biosecurity protocols were breached. The official said that almost all patients were transferred to other institutions in the territory, the management of the hospital was changed and several disinfections are currently being made in its premises to resume work next Monday, if certified by health authorities.

Sabines Lorenzo commented that in Cardenas, the municipality with the highest epidemiological risk in Matanzas province, security measures are raised, PCR tests are increased and isolation is reinforced.

In the exchange of Diaz-Canel and Marrero Cruz with the governors, they urge to continue facing those who, in the midst of this complex situation for the country, are involved in illegalities, indiscipline and behaviors endangering others.

In this struggle for life, in which numbers improve with the daily delivery of millions of Cubans, selfishness, the every man to himself and the opportunism of a few are unacceptable.

 

Taken from the web site Presidency of the Republic of Cuba