The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) began a research on the immune status of the population, aimed at determining seroprevalence (presence of antibodies) and prevalence of COVID-19 on the island.
The study, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), is the first of its kind in the region of the Americas and one of the few carried out in the world, the Infomed website reported this Tuesday.
According to the source specialized in health issues, the research aims to obtain “precise estimates of the immune status of the population, monitor the evolution of the epidemic and identify the most important risk factors to get infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
A team of epidemiologists, statisticians, virologists and other health specialists has randomly selected around 4,000 citizens, who will be the subject of an inquiry into demographic, clinical and other relevant biological variables.
The subjects of the sample―representative of the entire Cuban population―will be examined periodically for at least two months as of the first half of May.
According to Infomed, the research work is structured around the Cuban primary health care system, and will include the participation of duly qualified professionals from 70 municipalities on the island.
Since the pandemic broke out, teams of Cuban scientists and research centers have carried out various projects related to the coronavirus, from treatment protocols and preventive drugs to vaccines against COVID-19, of which 1,685 positive cases have already been confirmed on the island. In addition, the disease has left 69 deceased in Cuba, while 950 have recovered.
