Havana, March 19, 2020.- The preparation of scientists and health professionals in Cuba, as well as the use of high technology for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the Covid-19 disease, allow today to confront this pandemic.
Immediately after the emergency was declared due to the SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, the specific diagnosis was introduced on the island through advanced molecular techniques, national specialists explain.
Dr. María Guadalupe Guzmán, head of the Research, Diagnosis and Reference center of the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) assured that this technology is available in that laboratory located in Havana (west), as well as in two others in the provinces of Villa Clara (center) and Santiago de Cuba (east).
The three laboratories allow the identification and confirmation of positive cases of Covid-19, essential for epidemiological control actions.
According to Guzmán, a nasopharyngeal exudate is performed where virus particles are found through a technology known as molecular diagnosis by the Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) technique, a modern and expensive method in the world.
To face this situation, Cuba takes into account the experience accumulated in the country, with the knowledge and years of training of specialists in various fields of biotechnology and health.
Regarding the availability of drugs, the national authorities have reiterated that the availability and productive capacity of the 22 drugs included in the protocols for confronting and treating Covid-19 and its possible complications are guaranteed.
Such is the case of interferon alfa 2B, created and produced by the island's Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, successfully applied in China against this new coronavirus.
The president of Biocubafarma, Eduardo Martínez, assured that the availability provides coverage for thousands of people in a horizon of three months, with specific projections of increasing volumes to meet the needs of the country and the requests received from various nations.
The Cuban State manages the acquisition of resources, raw materials and spare parts that guarantee antiviral drugs, antibiotics, antirhythmics, anesthetics, parenteral solutions and other devices to treat the disease.
As it became known, IPK researchers received a preparatory course in Mexico on Covid-19, and exchanges of information and knowledge have taken place with scientists from various countries.
In addition, the Caribbean nation relies on the recommendations of the World Health Organization and on monitoring the situation in China, Spain and Italy, for example, where the largest number of confirmed cases and deaths are reported.
Within the country, workers from the national health system and from different sectors received training at the IPK on coronavirus, a preparation that is later replicated at the provincial and municipal levels.
In this sense, the family doctor's offices and the polyclinics stand out, offering immediate attention to the population, where the main task is to identify vulnerable groups: people over 60 years of age or with respiratory diseases.
The country is prepared to face the disease; however, the necessary prevention and self-care in the face of this pandemic, which already exceeds 200,000 confirmed cases in the world and more than 8,000 deaths, is emphasized.
(Cubaminrex-PL)