Cuba Reports Zero Cases of Coronavirus

In Cuba there isn’t a single case confirmed of coronavirus, Covid-19 said to the domestic press in this capital experts from the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap).

Dr. Francisco Durán, National Director of Epidemiology of Minsap, he also said that the country has the necessary lab reagents for its diagnosis, which will be used in people with suspected of having the disease, whose first cases were detected on December 31^st in the Chinese city of Wuhan and it has spread to more than twenty nations.

Recent international statistics ratified by Minsap corroborate that so far there are 71,500 confirmed cases worldwide, and 1,771 deaths due to this virus, whose incubation period is about 14 days.

He said that in Latin America there are no cases diagnosed because countries have had more time to prepare and face the disease, as well as the fact that there aren’t direct flights to China, except from Mexico that has intensified its surveillance.

Both Durán and Dr. Carmelo Trujillo, National Head of Minsap for the Health Control Program repeated that Cuba keeps control and surveillance at all international borders: harbors, airports, and marinas, which are the most likely places for the virus to enter Cuba. Specialized health personnel is located at these entry points.

They explained that there are no travel restrictions, epidemiological surveillance is kept which also includes rental houses. There is a daily monitoring and care system at all entry points.

Dr. Lorenzo Somarriba, Director of Health Surveillance at the Ministry Management Center, said the key is prevention, and recommended washing hands for not less than 20 seconds, and not touch your mouth, eyes, or nose, more sensitive ports of entry for the spread of this respiratory disease.

He highlighted that the greatest risk is in people who come from China, those older than 41 years of age, those with associated diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular illnesses, among others, and men are more affected than women.

Somarriba clarified that in 2002 one of the coronaviruses that hit human beings was the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), also originated in China and affected 8 098 people and the lethality rate was 9.5%.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 so far is less lethal, with a rate of less than 2%, that is, this strand of coronavirus behaves with more cases and is less deadly, he explained.

On the possible treatments, Dr. Francisco Durán said that international health organizations work with several protocols, including the Cuban medicine Human Interferon alfa 2B, which is produced by the joint Cuban-Chinese company ChangHeber.

The expert also announced that the possibility of a combined action of the antiviral Oseltamivir with other antiretroviral drugs used in HIV / AIDS patients is under studied.