Cuba already has 22 molecular biology laboratories

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 8 (ACN) Cuba has 22 molecular biology laboratories, of very expensive technology, in addition to the resources used, in which the positive cases to the COVID-19 are diagnosed, despite the blockade of the United States against the island for almost six decades ago and that every day is worsening.

On March 11, 2020, the first three cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus were reported in Cuba, which had four laboratories to detect the disease, at the Pedro Kouirí Institute of Tropical Medicine and at the Provincial Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Havana; another one in Villa Clara and then in Santiago de Cuba.

Almost a year after the pandemic, the country has accumulated up to yesterday's closing date 2,519,444 samples and 55,693 positive for this coronavirus, which is widespread to 190 nations of the planet, informed Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health.

Havana, with the highest transmission of the disease, has 10 laboratories, including biotechnology laboratories in the research centers, as well as those already operating.

The same is true for Pinar del Río, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Artemisa, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Villa Clara and Matanzas.

There are still those to be opened in Sancti Spíritus, Granma, Las Tunas and the special municipality Isla de la Juventud, which are in different stages of construction, and Mayabeque, which is expected to open soon, said the Minsap official.

The purpose is to complete all the territories with these laboratories, in which, in addition to the COVID-19, they have a high quality microbiological and can diagnose many diseases that will continue to be studied in the country, remarked Durán.

Dr. Durán said that the increase of SARS-CoV-2 infections in territories of the country that had not reported cases for several months is due to overconfidence that later it is very difficult for the population to internalize the importance of the use of face masks and all the biosecurity measures.
At the end of March 6, Cuba confirmed 858 people positive for COVID-19, of the 18,570 samples studied, and there were four deaths.

Of the 858 positives, 820 were contacts of confirmed cases; 12 with source of infection abroad; while 26 with no source of infection specified.

Durán never tires of insisting to parents and relatives on the need to take care of children under 20 years of age, since yesterday 129 cases were reported in this age group, of which 113 are in the pediatric age group, including seven infants.