A good part of the evolution of the new coronavirus pandemic in this eastern Cuban province, especially in its capital, goes through the quality of the isolation of the contacts of confirmed and suspected cases; this was alerted by the Temporary Government Group for the confrontation and prevention of COVID-19 here.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- In recent weeks, this territory increased to 900 its total number of ready beds in its different isolation centers; not only in the one enabled for confirmed but asymptomatic patients, but also in the facilities for suspects, international and national travelers; as well as for contacts and health workers who rotate through the red zones. More than 400 people are kept in these centers and 13 diagnosed are assisted in Holguín.
In the last 15 days, 80 cases were confirmed here, 77 of them autochthonous, for an incidence rate of 14.4 per 100 thousand inhabitants, the majority concentrated in the provincial capital. The municipality of Las Tunas maintains a trend of increasing autochthonous cases of Covid-19 with an incidence rate above the provincial average, and it is the Health areas of the Alberto Arcos Luque, Manuel Fajardo and Gustavo Aldereguía polyclinics that they report the worst situation.
Faced with this scenario, this Monday, the Temporary Government Group indicated to accelerate the preparations for the Simón Bolívar mixed center to function as an isolation facility; actions that, he pointed out, have been delayed too long. "The greatest strength that we have had so far is that new cases are diagnosed while already in isolation centers," Manuel Pérez Gallego, first secretary of the Party in the province, said. "We cannot lose it," he added, referring to the fact that this strategy has been one of the keys to ensuring that Las Tunas continues to have one of the lowest rates of incidence of autochthonous cases per 100,000 inhabitants compared to other provinces.
The governing body did not rule out that other more severe epidemiological control measures be taken, especially in the capital city, which concentrates more than half of all COVID-19 cases detected in the territory. Additionally, it approved to continue increasing the isolation capacities for contacts and suspects; and also for health professionals who work in the red zone, who will receive preventive treatment with Nasalferón, a prophylactic drug from the Cuban Pharmaceutical Industry that strengthens the immune system against respiratory infections.
The Temporary Group warned about the deficiencies that are still detected in the dynamics of carrying out the corresponding PCR tests and the necessary confinement of the eventual infected. In recent days, besides, the mechanisms of coping with the pandemic in Las Tunas were hampered by the temporary interruption of operation of the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the city of Holguín, primarily in charge of studying the samples for PCR tests carried out here.
In fact, during the past week, the number of pending samples reached about 700. This situation began to be reversed with the sending of the samples to other laboratories in the country and with the return to operations of that located in the “City of Parks.” The Public Health authorities reiterated last Saturday that the construction work of the Molecular Biology Laboratory of Las Tunas was continuing; although they indicated that the civil works will only be completed at the end of March. Then there will come a period of start-up and certification of its reliability.
Now the province accumulates a total of 32 thousand 614 samples made and 468 positive, for a positivity rate of 1.4 percent. 301 results are pending, 12 with more than 72 hours taken.
COMPLEX SITUATION IN THE CITY OF LAS TUNAS
According to yesterday's part of the day, four patients of the last confirmed belong to "Manuel (Piti) Fajardo", two to "Gustavo Aldereguía", one to "Guillermo Tejas", one to "Aquiles Espinosa", and one to "Alberto Arcos Luque," all from the Capital of Cuban Sculpture. In addition, a Cuban citizen from the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood in “Amancio,” belonging to the" Luis Aldana Palomino" area, was reported. Six are contacts of positive cases, and the source of infection of the other four is not yet clear.
Among those diagnosed is a 9-year-old girl, which confirms the need to protect those less than 18 years of age, given the rise in patients of this age group. Likewise, a patient in serious condition was registered, admitted to the Fermín Valdés Domínguez hospital, in Holguín.
15 outbreaks remain under surveillance, 13 from the municipality of Las Tunas, one from Puerto Padre and another from "Colombia." 93 travelers are also controlled, of them 19 were discharged from isolation centers with negative first and second PCR.
Currently, Primary Health Care, mass organizations and community groups play an essential role in the identification of cases, especially of those national travelers who today constitute the main risk of spreading the disease. However, every effort must be accompanied by individual responsibility and compliance with the new life codes.
