Cuba Reports 786 New COVID-19 Cases

Cuban health authorities reported 786 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, a record of contagions in a single day, and three deaths due to the coronavirus, so the death toll rose to 200.

During a televised press briefing, Dr. Francisco Duran, national director of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), called on the Cuban population to assess the consequences of the disease, which has already infected 22,614 people in Cuba since March 11, 2020.

‘The current epidemiological situation in the country must be seriously analyzed. Irresponsibility cannot continue and it is necessary that anyone with the slightest symptoms must go to the doctor,’ the expert stressed.

To date, 9,944 patients have been admitted in hospitals, 3,440 of whom are suspected cases and 1,839 are under surveillance, Dr. Duran said.

Cuba accumulates 4,665 active cases, the highest number of contagions since the disease broke out, the expert said.

The new cases are from Havana (344), Santiago de Cuba (121), Guantanamo (82) and Matanzas (48).

Dr. Duran stated that 720 patients were contacts of confirmed cases, totaling 18,349.

The doctor also said that 773 of the new cases were local contagions, 13 were infected abroad and the source of contagion has not been established in 53 patients.

Of the total number of Covid-19 patients who have been hospitalized, 4,621 are clinically stable, 16 are in a critical condition and 31 are seriously ill.

The epidemiologist highlighted the care of children, because in the last 24 hours, 91 children under 20 years of age tested positive for the coronavirus, 82 of whom are in pediatric age.

He added that 2,384 patients under 18 years of age have been infected with Covid-19 in Cuba.

Dr. Duran regretted that 546 of them still remain with the disease, and a child was admitted in an intensive care unit.

The specialist noted that 669 patients were discharged from hospitals, so 17,703 patients have recovered from the disease in Cuba.

On Monday, Cuban laboratories made 15,544 PCR tests in real time to detect the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, totaling 1,808,927 samples so far.

The director of Epidemiology pointed out that although January has not ended, 10,568 cases and 54 deaths, the highest figures of the disease in Cuba, have been reported this month.