SARS-CoV-2 in Cuba with more aggressive, virulent and lethal behavior, expert says

HAVANA, Cuba, May 7 (ACN) In recent weeks, SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, has had a more aggressive, virulent behavior, towards complications and severity and more lethal with the circulation of new strains, said today in Havana Francisco Duran, national director of epidemiology of the ministry of public health ( MINSAP by its Spanish acronym).

During his daily presentation on Cuban TV, the expert warned that at the close of Thursday, Cuba registered 1,162 new positive cases of the virus and 12 deaths, of which one was totally asymptomatic and two were aged 44 and 36.

Seven of those who died yesterday are from Havana, the province with the highest contagiousness and lethality in the country, which despite the restrictions of the measures has not been able to control the pandemic.

The national director of epidemiology reiterated the need for people to understand that beyond age or comorbidities, we must all protect ourselves because the virus does not distinguish.

During the last 15 days, 10 days have seen more than 1,000 cases diagnosed, and so far in May up to May 6, a total of 6,254 positive cases of the disease, with a daily average of 1,042 and 59 deaths.

Cuba has a total of 713 deaths since March last year, 146 of them at the end of 2020 and from January to May 6, 567, a worrying figure, which should serve to interiorize the need for self-responsibility and discipline of the entire population, the specialist remarked.

He reiterated that although vaccination is progressing, it is of vital importance the correct use of the mask, the physical and social distancing and the sanitary hygienic measures established since the beginning of the pandemic in Cuba.

Yesterday 169 children were detected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and the total number of those hospitalized is 862 (children under 18 years of age, including infants) and to date 94 % of the infants have already recovered.

Havana, Matanzas and Mayabeque are the provinces with the highest incidence of the disease, the Cuban epidemiologist concluded.