Cuban provinces retreat to epidemic stage in the face of Covid-19

Havana, February 3 (RHC) -- President Miguel Diaz-Canel and other Cuban authorities today moved back several western provinces to the limited autochthonous transmission phase in response to the complex epidemiological scenario caused by the Covid-19 virus.

The temporary working group at the national level approved to move Artemisa, Mayabeque, and the Special Municipality of the Isle of Youth, territories where there is an upward trend in cases.

With these changes, only the provinces of Sancti Spiritus, Granma, and Las Tunas remain in the new normality phase, while the rest are in different stages of recovery.

During the meeting, Public Health Minister, José Ángel Portal Miranda, reported that in January, the average number of cases per day rose to 501.2, increasing by more than 300 percent to the previous month.

'The highest contributions of incidence during the week were reported by Havana (West) with 42.3 percent; Santiago de Cuba (East) with 15.5 percent and Guantanamo (East) with 13.9 percent,' he added.

As part of the dialogue with leaders of the most affected provinces, the authorities insisted on respecting established sanitary protocols, strengthening active screening, creating greater hospitalization capacities, and speeding up the results of real-time PCR tests.

Cuba reported in the last 24 hours a record number of cases in one day (1044), as well as a record number of discharges in one day.