Public Health Minister: don’t let your guard down thinking it’s a common cold and go to the doctor’s

Dr. José Ángel Portal Miranda, Public Health Minister gave a brief history on the appearance and evolution of the disease in China, where, in early December, the first cases showed up and on the 31^st of that month, Wuhan authorities announced about 27 people who suffered an acute respiratory syndrome of etiology.

The minister in the television show Mesa Redonda said that “Coronaviruses exist since the 70’s. They comprise a wide range of viruses that can cause diseases to both animals and people,” and that had already affected the Arabian Peninsula and China itself, in 2013.

He clarified that “now we are speaking about a new strain of coronavirus, which had not been found before in humans and has been called SARS-Coronavirus-2 or 2019-nCoV. The new coronavirus is the cause of the Covid-19 disease.

The Public Health Minister detailed the symptoms, which he said are similar to those of any common flu: fever, cough, and tiredness or fatigue. “This triad of symptoms are the most frequent,” he said.

However, he clarified that other symptoms could appear such as difficulty to breath, nasal congestion, sore throat, sputum, and muscle aches, among others.

Strengthening Border Measures

To prevent the virus from entering the country and if it enters, identify it, the Minister of Health said that the sanitary control in marinas, ports and airports has been reinforced.

He added that at the entry points of the domestic territory, health control has increased, seeking respiratory signs and symptoms to take appropriate measures. “A compliance check of these measures was recently carried out because they are important issues in containment,” he said.

He also mentioned as a fundamental issue, the preparation of the people working at the entry points of the country, as well as the means of protection they must wear. He highlighted the systematic work carried out by Customs Office and the Immigration and Foreigners Department to know with anticipation about people traveling to Cuba from countries with high contagion rates.

There are Means in Cuba for Diagnosis

Responding to the concerns of the population, the head of Public Health said that “In Cuba there are means for the diagnosis. We have the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK), which diagnoses more than 17 viruses, in addition to Covid-19”.

He informed that during the week these lab diagnoses may also be carried out in Villa Clara and Santiago de Cuba, so that the samples do not need to travel to Havana and thus speed up the process.

He announced that daily control of how many respiratory consultations are given nationwide. More than five million of these consultations are conducted annually in the country and in the last two years, he said, there’s been a drop in people showing such symptoms.

He emphasized that “So far we have no cases diagnosed. However, the risk is present and we must continue our preparations.”

The Cuban medical staff is fully trained to define the behavior to follow before a respiratory illness, therefore nobody should fully trust and stay home if any such symptom appears, he said.

Organization of Medical Services for Prevention and Treatment

Dr. Portal Miranda announced that more than 3 100 beds are available in the first stage throughout the country for the care of this disease and that medical centers and hospitals in each territory have been defined for the isolation and treatment of cases suspicious or confirmed. The incorporation of military hospitals was decided, but there is another group of selected centers, he explained, so as not to complicate the rest of the hospitals that should continue providing the usual services.

He added that more than one hundred beds are also available at ICU units. These units have trained specialists, who have just received a crash high level course at the IPK with the most advanced intensivists. Attention protocols are written, where the best Cuban experiences for the management of the disease as well as those of other countries are present.

At ERs a specialized consultation will be enabled that will only assist, with the conditions and required means respiratory symptoms.

He mentioned as another aspect the need for the health sector to have a different look at social institutions such as nursing homes and maternal homes, and others, taking into account that they are vulnerable groups.

Regarding medicines, he affirmed that the State has financially supported the necessary resources to face this disease. He added that other resources have been acquired to respond to an epidemic such as expendable material, means of protection, intensive therapy equipment and also spare parts for such equipment.

He also commented on a group of experts from Cuban research centers, who are working on how to contribute, to Cuba and infected countries, new products to treat Covid-19 disease.

He explained that “Today we are in the second stage of preparation, which not only covers health personnel, but also other organizations with high incidence in this system such as Tourism, Transportation, the border and self-employed workers.”