Havana, Cuba: The Cuban Government continued to adopt actions to increase containment measures against COVID-19, with cases generated mainly by nationals from abroad, by their contacts – who are mostly their relatives – and by infected people for the latter, Radio Habana Cuba publishes.
As of January 10, all travelers arriving in the country must carry a real-time PCR carried out, at most, 72 hours before by certified laboratories in the countries of origin.
The decision was reported this Thursday, during the checkup of the epidemiological situation caused by the pandemic, which was led by the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
In a videoconference with the authorities of the provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, it was announced that the protocols for SARS-COV-2 will continue to be refined by the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), in such a way as to guarantee, with the participation of all mass organizations, the effective isolation of travelers and their families at home.
It will also strengthen the assurance of accommodation capacities for travelers residing in Cuba who do not have adequate conditions in their homes, and who can spend the days of quarantine in isolation centers.
On Wednesday, December 23, 217 new cases of COVID-19 were reported; 102 were contacts of confirmed cases, 101 with a source of infection abroad and 14 without a specified source of infection.
It is the highest number of infections since the beginning of the epidemic in the country on March 11. In these nine and a half months, 1,381,876 real-time PCRs have been performed; 10,717 positive cases (0.78%), and 139 deaths, for a fatality of 1.30%.
When analyzing that between 60 and 70% of the cases of COVID-19 in the last two dozen are cases directly or linked to people who have arrived in Cuba, Díaz-Canel stressed that the measures that should be taken within homes by some of the families have not had all the results that were expected.
If we are not worse – the Head of State said – it is because the Cuban protocols to face the disease are robust, that is why we do not have more deaths, but the more cases there are, the greater the risks.
In the evaluations made by governors of more than a dozen provinces, the increase in cases detected in the second PCR to be carried out by travelers was recurrent, five days after the first that they are practiced upon arrival in the country.
The need to maintain discipline at airports, physical distancing and hygiene measures within homes, and respect for newcomers and their families for the required isolation was stressed.
The Vice President of the Republic, Salvador Valdés Mesa, the six Vice Prime Ministers, and several ministers, among other leaders of the country, were present at the check-up.
José Angel Portal Miranda, head of the Minsap, reported that, of the 10,717 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, December 23, 10,356 are Cubans and 361 are foreigners. There are 8,620 confirmed autochthonous cases, with an incidence rate of 77 per 100 000 inhabitants (it does not include the 2,097 imported cases).
In the last 15 days, 885 cases have been confirmed, for a rate of 7.90 per 100,000 inhabitants. 2,969 people remain admitted for attention and surveillance of COVID-19, of them 2,885 Cubans and 84 foreigners, of which 63 are in treatment, and 21 under study.
Based on the number of cases, Cuba ranks 21st in the Americas and 122nd in the world. The island has a lower fatality rate of 0.89 compared to the world and 1.14 compared to the region of the Americas.