The Cuban President insists on the protection of health personnel. Photo/Estudios Revolucion.
HAVANA, Cuba.- The President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, insisted this Friday that “our health personnel must protect themselves and we must protect health personnel”, in the face of the threat of Covid-19, a disease that already counts in the world more than two million confirmed cases, 923 of them in Cuba.
Leading with Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz the meeting of the temporary working group for the prevention and control of the new coronavirus, the Head of State highlighted that “we cannot have this army decimated” and emphasized the transcendental role it plays in the battle the island has undertaken since the beginning of March.
According to Public Health Minister Jose Angel Portal Miranda, so far 92 health workers have fallen ill, including doctors, nurses and technicians, as well as 5 medical students. In addition, 5 Cuban collaborators serving missions in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
On this subject, Deputy Prime Minister Roberto Morales Ojeda pointed out that “today, before every patient, the first thing the health professional has to think about is Covid-19 and then discard it, otherwise they do not protect themselves well and get sick.”
Presenting the usual update of the Cuban scenario with the pandemic, Portal Miranda explained that in the country 26 local transmission events of the disease remain open, in 22 municipalities and 12 provinces. The biggest numbers are in Havana with 6; Ciego de Avila with 4; and Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Holguin, with 3 each.
In particular, the Minister referred to what happened at the No.3 Nursing Home in Santa Clara city, where a group of grandparents and workers have been confirmed as positive cases.
Diaz-Canel called this event the the one of greatest connotation, because of the vulnerability of senior citizens to the virus . “This must now be carried out now into care for each of these elders with precision and a differentiated attention,” he said.
On this matter, Governor of Villa Clara Alberto Diaz Lopez explained the decisions made with the elderly and workers of the nursing home. The confirmed are admitted to hospitals and those who remain healthy were transferred to other sites with better conditions for isolation. All measures have been taken, Diaz Lopez said, aware of the vulnerability of this event.
Participants in the meeting also knew about the work of the Provincial Defense Councils of Havana, which adds 335 cases, and Guantanamo, with 13. The authorities of both territories explained the measures they implement based on the epidemiological risk of each site, all as part of the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Plan, approved by the Cuban Government.
Taken from the web site of the Presidency of the Republic of Cuba