Two new patients in this province tested positive for COVID-19 and for a total of nine confirmed so far; the capital municipality has the highest number of cases.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- The authorities of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) reported the death of one of these diagnosed patients yesterday. He was an 83-year-old citizen who lived in the health area of the Manuel (Piti) Fajardo polyclinic, in the municipality of Las Tunas.
In addition to his advanced age, he had a history of hypertension, chronic kidney failure, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and a bladder tumor. For all these pathologies, he found himself with movement limitations in the apartment where he lived, in the Velázquez district.
Dr. Diego Julián Álvarez Dopazo, director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology, informed 26Digital that the old man began to feel unwell at noon on April 11 and, after being evaluated by a doctor from his own building, he was moved to Emergencies for cyanosis and pain in both lower limbs. Given this situation, he was admitted to the Dr. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna General Teaching Hospital.
On April 13, he began to have respiratory difficulties and was taken to the cubicle set up to care for these conditions. The sample was taken on April 14, being positive. He had a torpid evolution with cardiorespiratory arrest and died while in hospital.
Around this case, 11 contacts between neighbors and healthcare personnel are isolated. Their source of infection remains under study and they continue to delve into the search for new contacts.
The other positive reported today is a six-month-old Cuban citizen, resident in the municipality of Puerto Padre and belonging to the health area of the Romárico Oro polyclinic.
This infant started on April 12 with a slight nasal obstruction, runny nose and was referred by the doctor to the Pediatric Hospital. There he made a 38 degrees fever the day of his admission. Initially, it was interpreted as a common cold and he remained in the respiratory room with good vitality and general condition.
As part of the protocol, on April 14, the sample for real-time PCR was taken, which positive result for COVID-19, according to the diagnosis of the Santiago de Cuba laboratory.
The child remains with favorable evolution, without fever and with all the normal parameters, but after the diagnostic, he was referred to the Holguín center for COVID-19 patients. As part of the epidemiological survey, until now health staff have managed to isolate 18 contacts in the different centers set up for this purpose, all pending to receive the results of their studies and without warning signs.
Álvarez Dopazo reiterated the need to stay home as an essential measure to stop the COVID-19. "The number of contacts in each confirmed case shows that social isolation is still not being carried out effectively and rigorously here."
In Las Tunas, 34 suspects are admitted to the established isolation facilities and 203 contacts of possible patients are at other premises. At the same time, 31 travelers from other provinces of the country are under surveillance.
