Containing the rise of positive cases of COVID-19 and avoid the transmission of the disease is the priority of the Health personnel in Las Tunas, who, given the extreme epidemiological alert, active investigations in the community and the surveillance of suspects and contacts of confirmed.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- The sector, together with the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), assumed the strategy of visiting families awaiting the arrival of a traveler from abroad. So far it has been identified that 63 of these potential visitors do not have the conditions to keep isolation at home; information that allows the system to prepare in advance.

Dr. Viviana Gutiérrez Rodríguez, provincial director of Health, said that 42 foci related to positive cases are being monitored, 27 in Las Tunas municipality, nine in Puerto Padre, one in Amancio, two in Jobabo, one in Manatí and two in "Jesús Menéndez."

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In the Romárico Oro health area of Puerto Padre (the one with the highest incidence rate), the Boquerón town (from the street of the Cemetery to four roads) remains closed, an outbreak generated from that of La Morena. It encompasses 4,500 people in more than 600 homes, from medical offices one and 10. There, a positive response to the implemented measures is perceived and the intention is to intervene with Nasalferón to increase the immune response of this population and guarantee that sick people do not develop severe symptoms.

The specialist said that the video room of Boquerón, the Municipal Statistics Office, three classrooms of the Boquerón primary school, the Yarey de Vázquez secondary and primary schools were closed. From the initial case, nine positives are reported, and 56 patients already have PCR results; while 69 others continue to wait.

Three of the health areas of the main municipality also present a complex situation. In the one belonging to the Manuel Piti Fajardo polyclinic, Adolfo Villamar Street from René Ramos to El Puente and Josué País from Francisco Vega to the corner of the Liquid Gas point are under restrictions.

It covers a population of 553 people from medical office number 18. There, from the index case, two confirmed cases are reported and six patients are admitted as suspects. 47 contacts were studied and 36 are pending results.

In that same area, the Vicente Cutiño Street from Lora to Nicolás Heredia remains closed with a universe of 90 residents of 38 homes, which belong to the medical office No.6. Three positives are reported, two admitted as suspects; PCR was performed on 16 and only one diagnosis is pending.

Another major focus on surveillance, which includes 156 homes and 399 inhabitants from Las Tunas, is located in the health area of the "Gustavo Aldereguía Lima", and the streets involved are J. Espinosa between Luis Manuel Suárez and Eddy Martínez; Mario Oro from Camilo Cienfuegos to Cristino Barreda; Los Maceos from J. Espinosa to Cristino Barreda; Eddy Martínez corner to J. Espinosa and Luis Manuel Suárez between J. Espinosa and Cristino Barreda. From the first confirmed, there are already five positives, four suspects admitted and of those studied, nine await results.

Likewise, restrictive measures were adopted on Roberto Reyes Street between José Aguirre and 13 de Marzo, of the Aquiles Espinosa health area, with a universe of 114 people grouped in 50 houses, belonging to the medical office 13. Two patients were positive, after the first identified case; there are six suspects in isolation centers, 61 results are pending.

Given this health panorama, the Health system here has proposed to establish limitations to the areas of the outbreaks that generate more than two confirmed, carrying out an adequate epidemiological evaluation. In addition, national travelers, from territories in transmission, who present symptoms will be classified as suspects and will act according to the established protocol.

Even though the province is going through the new normality, the Temporary Working Group approved several measures for the municipalities of Las Tunas and Puerto Padre that include the compulsory use of the facemask, the disinfection of hands with hypochlorite at the entrance of the institutions, the closure of nightclubs, swimming pools, gyms, the banning of parties, among others, essential to avoid the regression to other previous phases.

In the last 15 days, 71 cases have been confirmed in this province; of them, 45 autochthonous for an incidence rate of 8.41 per 100,000 inhabitants. It accumulates a total of more than 23 thousand PCR in real time and until yesterday 117 samples were pending with more than 72 hours.

Currently, 207 travelers from abroad remain under surveillance, 120 have a diagnosis of the first PCR and 28 already were negative on the fifth day exam; 50 are awaiting results. In the last hours, 43 travelers, 38 Cubans and five foreigners, arrived in the territory.
Since the pandemic began, Las Tunas has accumulated 233 confirmed, 124 of them imported. So far 93 are on clinical medical discharge and 95 on epidemiological discharge.

According to the statistics, more than 70 percent of those diagnosed here have had the disease asymptomatically, which shows the need to take extreme measures, since anyone can be a carrier of the virus and not know it. At the moment, the only effective vaccine is the strict adherence to all sanitary guidelines.