Despite registering this Friday the lowest number of autochthonous cases in the last two weeks, Cuba closed April with the worst indicators of confirmed cases and deceased since the first cases tested positive for the new coronavirus were diagnosed on the island in March 2020.
A total of 31,346 cases and 229 deaths were reported in April, figures that considerably exceed the parameters of March (25,686-101), February (23 004-108) and January (15,530-70) of this year, as well as those for the period between March and December 2020 (12,056-146). In addition, there was a record of 4,449 pediatric-age patients diagnosed in April, an average of 148 per day.
Although for several days it was already known that April would end with the worst indicators, this Saturday the trend of the month was maintained and 915 new COVID-19 infections were reported, plus ten deaths, so the death toll now stands at 654 and the number of confirmed cases is 107,622.
Of the ten deceased of the day, seven were over 60 years old. Five provinces reported at least one death on the day, with the worst indicators for Camagüey (four), followed by Havana (three) and one in Matanzas, Mayabeque and Santiago de Cuba.
The Ministry of Public Health reported that, of the 915 cases, 894 are autochthonous; 876 (95.7%) were contacts of confirmed patients, 21 imported (from Russia, Panama and Colombia) and in 18 it was not possible to specify the source of infection.
Se confirmaron 915 nuevos casos de #COVID19, para un acumulado de 107 622:
5437 casos activos
5360 evolución clínica estable
37 pacientes en estado crítico
40 pacientes en estado grave
654 fallecidos
101475 pacientes recuperados
2 evacuadoshttps://t.co/SmdEmXDhWI pic.twitter.com/VbmQRLHSWR— Ministerio de Salud Pública de Cuba (@MINSAPCuba) May 1, 2021
Havana is the most affected territory with 632 infections, three of them imported. Fourteen of the capital’s 15 municipalities report more than 20 cases, with red numbers for Arroyo Naranjo (80), Diez de Octubre (59), Centro Habana (56), Boyeros (56) and Habana del Este (50).
As has become common in recent times, Santiago de Cuba presented a high number of cases (64 and one imported) and Mayabeque (46), two provinces that have not managed to reduce their incidence rates. Camagüey (31 and seven imported), Artemisa (28), Sancti Spíritus (24), Granma (21) and Holguín (15 and five imported) also have complicated situations.
On the other hand, it is striking how Matanzas has managed to reduce its contagion curve in a relatively short period of time. This Friday 11 cases plus two imported were reported, although Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of Hygiene and Epidemiology, explained that they must maintain strict surveillance to stop the chains of infections.
Likewise, control samples are tangible in Pinar del Río (14 cases), Guantánamo (four autochthonous and one imported), Villa Clara (two-one), Cienfuegos (three), Ciego de Ávila (two) and Las Tunas (one imported). For its part, Isla de la Juventud did not register any cases in the day.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, 36.3% (332) of the 915 cases were asymptomatic. Since the beginning of the pandemic in Cuba, 53,847 patients without symptoms have been identified as positive, which represents 50% of all those infected.
According to official data, the age group most affected is that of 40-59 years, in which 310 positive cases are reported, followed by those of 20-39 years, with 280 cases, and those over 60 years of age, with 179. On the other hand, 146 patients under 20 years of age were confirmed, 133 of them of pediatric age.
Referring to this, Dr. Francisco Durán explained that among the day’s positive cases there are six infants, and added that there are a total of 13,715 positive cases in pediatric age, of which more than 94.1% have recovered; 740 of them are still active and four are in therapy: two critical and two serious.
After compiling the data for Friday, April 30, there are 5,437 active cases in Cuba, a slight increase compared to the previous date. Of these, 5,360 have a stable clinical evolution, while 40 people are in serious condition and 37 in critical condition.
On the day there were 872 discharges, with which 101,475 (94.3%) patients have already recovered in the nation. According to the health authorities, a total of 22,073 patients are hospitalized for clinical epidemiological surveillance and there are 3,873 suspects, while another 12,763 people are under surveillance through the primary healthcare system.
According to official sources, 3,654,854 diagnostic tests (PCR) have already been carried out in Cuba. During the last months the number of tests has increased considerably with the operation of more than 20 laboratories for the processing of the samples, which totaled 23,384 on this Friday, April 30.
