No coronavirus infections on the island
- Written by Redacción ¡ahora!
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"There are no diagnosed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus In Cuba," stated Dr. Francisco Durán García, national director of epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), in a meeting with the national press on Monday.
He added that an inter-sectoral plan has been implemented across the country to combat the disease, adapted in each region by the provincial and municipal health departments, and recently verified during ministerial visits. Efforts include prevention in key sectors such as tourism, transportation, customs, foreign affairs, and immigration, among others.
The plan outlines protocols for action by health and Civil Defense authorities. "Reagents are already in the country to conduct diagnoses of individuals suspected of carrying the disease or being ill," the doctor explained, adding that conditions are being created in heath care facilities to provide high quality services, including intermediate and intensive therapy to all patients who may be infected with the coronavirus.
Travelers from areas where cases have appeared, and those with suspicious symptoms are advised to seek medical attention as a preventive measure, for their own good and that of society, something corroborated by Dr. Lorenzo Somarriba López, director of Health Surveillance at the ministry.
Dr. Carmelo Trujillo Machado, national head of the Program for International Health Control, said that all entry points for travelers to the country maintain effective surveillance, and the need to establish travel restrictions has been avoided.
He clarified that both visitors and permanent residents, upon arrival in Cuba, are checked by professionals trained to detect symptoms of the disease and contacted by primary care providers in the areas where they will be temporarily residing, including hotels.
The three doctors noted that the condition is being studied by experts around the world and that today anti-retrovirals drugs are being used to combat the coronavirus. One of these is a Cuban interferon created by BioCubaFarma, and produced in China at a joint venture plant.
