The epidemiological alert issued to this province by the Government's Temporary National Working Group is clear evidence of the rise in positive cases in recent days; and that, according to the local health authorities, is associated with the non-compliance with protocols by travelers and their families.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- With the new case reported today from the main municipality, there are already 197 positives since the pandemic began here in March 2020; 120 imported and 77 autochthonous. Dr. Diego Álvarez Dopazo, director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology (CPHEM), said that the source of infection of this 50-year-old patient is not yet specified.
“She is a traveler from Germany who arrived in Cuba on December 18 and her first and second PCR tested negative. Later, on January 5, a third sample is taken, because the German airline requested it to enter that country. The positive diagnosis arrives on the 9th due to the delays with the samples in the laboratories, but by that date, she was no longer in the province and everything indicates that she finally returned to Germany.
“From the first to the last sample, 19 days passed; and although the lady herself could become ill abroad, it is most likely that she was infected here, in accordance with the incubation period. To specify the source of infection and avoid possible transmission of the disease, PCR studies were carried out on her 14 direct contacts and on the population around the area belonging to the Manuel (Piti) Fajardo polyclinic."
Currently, the greatest complexities in the territory are present in the health areas of the Guillermo Tejas Silva and Romárico Oro polyclinics, in the municipalities of Las Tunas and Puerto Padre.
In facing of this situation, he said, the control measures by the health inspection authorities will intensify. “We will continue with health promotion actions and with the timely alert, but we will be more rigorous with offenders, as well. We cannot allow the indicators to worsen, it is a responsibility assumed by the sector jointly with the rest of the authorities of the territory.”
However, the success in controlling this outbreak of the disease depends on the collective conscience. Álvarez Dopazo reiterated the mandatory use of the facemask, physical distancing and hygiene of hands and surfaces to overturn this scenario that threatens a reversal of the new normal period.
Dr. Aldo Cortés González, deputy director of the CPHEM, reiterated that as long as there is circulation of the virus or people arriving from places where there is transmission, the risks will be present. "The current behavior of the pandemic corresponds to the violations of the new codes of life," he reaffirmed.
He stated that there is an increase in autochthonous cases from the first-order contacts of confirmed travelers, i.e. mothers, fathers, siblings, children… However, negligent behavior can cause the disease to spread to the community.
The doctor advocated individual responsibility, conscience and discipline, keys to living with the virus and avoiding a return to previous phases. "Las Tunas has shown that we can overcome the pandemic and what happens in the future will depend on our attitude."
