The province of Las Tunas is inserted in a population study to detect possible infections with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which will allow the behavior of the COVID-19 to be diagnosed with greater precision.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Dr. Diego Julián Álvarez Dopazo, director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology, explained that localities with high and low population densities were selected throughout the country.

In the case of this territory it is held in six clinics in the provincial capital; the number five in the health area of the Gustavo Aldereguía polyclinic; the 11, in Potosí, belonging to "Guillermo Tejas"; the 11 and 37, in the "Manuel (Piti) Fajardo" and 10 and 36 from Dumoy, from "Aquiles Espinosa". They also chose three of these premises (Building, Hill and Upholstery) from the Mártires de Manatí Health area, in the municipality of Manatí.

“Five families from each of those medical offices are preselected by a random, mathematical program. A sample for PCR will be taken to each member of these nuclei. The objective is to determine the level of circulation of this virus in asymptomatic carriers.”

He said that the number of asymptomatic people with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is increasing in the country. “This maintains the risk of establishing an overlapping transmission; to avoid that is the main purpose.

"Families were chosen through joint cyber programs with biostatistics, epidemiology, and the Center for Mathematical Calculations. Extensive epidemiological surveys will be carried out that collect all the data from each of the patients to be studied. The samples will be sent to the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute.”

For a few days, we have been working on the organization of the investigation. Professionals from the areas of Health and municipal directorates were aware of the preselected medical offices.

“Today began the first part, which consists of visiting the chosen families to conduct the interview and obtain informed consent, an essential step in these cases. Then the sampling will continue. Each Health area has duets, accredited at the national level, of laboratory workers with all the means of protection that will proceed to take the sample in homes, complying with the required measures.