Cuba will shortly begin distributing a new medication, PREVENGHO-VIR, a homeopathic immunological booster, among the island's population to help prevent viral infections like COVID-19 and other common flu, Dr. Francisco Durán, Director of Epidemiology, announced on Sunday.

Havana, Cuba.- In the daily press briefing on the state of COVID-19 in Cuba, Dr. Durán explained PREVENGOVIR is a sublingual preparation that has first been applied to risk groups in isolation centers, elderly and mother-infant homes, and hospitals caring for positive and suspected COVID-19 patients.

Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine created in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann based on his doctrine of "the similar cures the similar." It has been developed in Cuba in the past 30 years with the help of China, Vietnam and India. There are pharmacies just dedicated to homeopathic and natural medicines.

In his Sunday report to the media, Dr. Durán pointed out Cuba did 1,201 tests in the past 24 hours, and 32 people tested positive, just 2.8% of that amount, for a grand total of 320 persons diagnosed with COVID-19 since the outbreak began. Of those, 295 are active patients who are hospitalized under treatment. Some 283 of them are doing fine, but eight are in a critical state and four in serious conditions.

The number of people in clinical-epidemiological quarantine in isolation centers has diminished to 1,887, of whom 1,291 are suspected cases. Some 16,306 people are under vigilance at home by the system of Primary Medical Care.

Of the new positive cases, four of them contracted the disease abroad, three in the US and 1 in Spain, while 14 were contacts of confirmed cases and another 14 are contacts of travelers that came from abroad, Dr. Durán explained.

Two additional deaths were reported on Saturday: 71 years female from Sancti Spíritus and a 74-year-old male from the Isle of Youth, the first case in that special municipality. (PL)