In just 15 days, Las Tunas reports more than 880 positive cases to COVID-19, an alarming number in a province that, until recently, had maintained control of the pandemic.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Faced with this rising trend and the decision of the Ministry of Public Health to decree the country in the phase of community transmission of the epidemic stage, a plan of action is deployed here to guarantee medical assistance and stop infections.
From now on, by decision of the Temporary Working Group, confirmed and suspected low-risk patients, besides direct contacts, will be isolated in authorized centers in each of the municipalities to avoid the collapse of the existing ones in the provincial capital. Meanwhile, alternatives are being sought to increase the capacities in these facilities.
In Puerto Padre, the Guillermo Domínguez Hospital will continue to admit positives and high-risk suspects, as well as serious acute respiratory infections. The staff is qualified to carry out the task and have the necessary conditions to do so.
The Pepito Tey campus of the University of Las Tunas is one of the facilities that will work for the isolation of cases and, at first, it intends to host 240 people. The work does not stop there, as it is also expected to enlist other spaces within the educational institution, to respond to a possible increase in diagnoses.
The rector of the house of higher studies, Aurora Ramos de las Heras, told the Radio Victoria local radio station that they maintain the commitment to contribute to the fight against the pandemic to recover the favorable situation that the province had shown during all these past months.
She recalled that the Lenin campus has been providing its services as an isolation center, and more than 200 workers and students have helped with cleaning, food preparation, and laundry; besides the work carried out by its professionalsin the statistics area.
The Education sector has about 380 people collaborating in 25 places for the admission of patients. Given the need to increase the force, it was determined that each work center whose staff is interrupted should do everything possible for its employees to support these healthcare facilities, especially with cleaning, food preparation, and laundry.
Likewise, a contribution was requested from companies with means of transport to act as ambulances; The Cuban Oil (CUPET) and Telecommunications (ETECSA) companies already contributed their own, but it is expected that others will do so; for example, cooperatives in rural areas.
Las Tunas accumulates 2,868 COVID-19 cases since the start of the epidemic, and mathematical forecasts point towards the increase. In the last 15 days, the incidence rate is 153.1 per 100 thousand inhabitants; the municipality of Colombia, with 339.5, even exceeds the provincial capital, 256.8.
