Holguín carries out population study in the face of COVID-19
- Written by Eileen Molina / ACN
- Published in Health
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Health authorities of the province of Holguín carry out a population study to detect possible cases of COVID-19 in the territory, as part of the measures to contain this infectious disease.
The research includes people who visited the Shambalá bar in the city of Holguín between August 20 and September 8, where a source of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was registered.
These people must attend voluntarily at the five medical offices prepared in the head city and the municipal Hygiene and Epidemiology units here, as they are linked to the last two positive cases with Covid-19 reported in the territory.
Dr. Carlos Medina, head of the Department of Medical Assistance of the Provincial Directorate of Public Health, said to the Cuban News Agency that the study will allow identifying possible asymptomatic patients and thus stopping the chains of transmission of the disease, classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
He noted that the study will include also people with acute respiratory infections, including pneumonia, who are currently admitted to hospital institutions under epidemiological surveillance.
Medina explained that the sampling will be carried out in authorized medical offices in the Pedro del Toro, Díaz Legrá, Alcides Pino, Mario Gutierrez and Pedro Díaz Coello health areas, which will be studied through PCR tests (chain reaction of polymerase) in real time.
As part of the preventive actions to avoid the spread of SARS CoV-2, biosecurity measures are also strengthened in healthcare, social and educational centers, while active research is carried out in risk areas and vulnerable population groups, he said.
After 30 days, Holguín reported two new cases of COVID-19 between last Friday and Monday, the first patient is a 33 years old man belonging to the Alex Urquiola health area, who is a worker of the Credit and Commerce Bank; the second one is a 21-year-old girl resident in the community of Aguas Claras, who is a cashier at the Shambalá bar.
Although the source of infection is unknown, there is a hypothesis handled by specialists in Hygiene and Epidemiology that points to contagion in that establishment, located in the historic center of the city, on August 25 during the presentation of a humorous group from Havana.
