New group of health proffesionals arrive in Cuban province to fight COVID

CIEGO DE AVILA, Cuba, Aug 5 (ACN) A contingent of 210 health professionals arrived as reinforcements to face the complex epidemiological situation in the province of Ciego de Avila due to the high transmission of COVID-19.

The new force is made up of doctors and nurses, mainly from Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Las Tunas, Villa Clara and Pinar del Rio, who were on international missions in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and gave up their vacations to respond to the personnel shortage faced by the territory.

The contingent called Ernesto Che Guevara is the third reinforcement group to arrive in the territory and will support medical assistance in the emergency centers in view of the increase in the number of confirmed cases, which for the second consecutive day exceeded 1,000 patients in one day.

This brings to 538 the number of health professionals who have arrived in Ciego de Avila since July 12 to date, to guarantee care in isolation centers, hospitals and acute respiratory infection consultations, at a time when SARS CoV-2 virus infections have reached more than 400 health workers in Avila.

In recent days, measures were taken to increase admission capacities, such as the designation of the Ciego de Avila hotel as a pediatric hospital with 240 beds, with the aim of reducing the number of patients staying at home.

Other professionals, as well as beds, mattresses and supplies should arrive in the province soon as part of the effort to reverse the complicated health panorama of the territory in the shortest possible time.

Dr. Michael Cabrera Lazo, first deputy director of the Central Unit of Medical Services of the Ministry of Public Health, told Invasor digital that adjustments were made in the Cuban mission in Venezuela to undertake this aid while guaranteeing care in that country.

He specified that they were all immunized and have expressed their commitment to stay as long as necessary.

José Ángel Portal Miranda, Cuban Minister of Public Health, explained that the territory is going through a very complex moment, with a lot of pain for the families who have lost their loved ones and although the province has not stopped working, the epidemic has exceeded the response capacity.

Ciego de Avila has an incidence rate of 2,800 per 100,000 inhabitants and in the last 14 days has confirmed more than 12,300 positive cases of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.