During his regular meeting with scientists and experts to review progress in the COVID.19 battle, the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, yesterday highlighted the achievements that have been obtained by Cuban science during these difficult months.
From a beginning with great uncertainty, he noted, we have moved forward consolidating results and showing progress, adding that we have travelled a scientific path that is becoming stronger.
Here everyone is cooperating, without vanity; everyone complements and supports each other, and in the end, what we obtain are results that contribute to the common good, he said.
In this regard, Dr. Beatriz Marcheco Teruel, director of the Center for Medical Genetics, explained that the research at this institution has included investigations of possible immunogenetic factors that may be linked to the severity of the disease in certain patients.
Preliminary results show that from March 11 to June 11, the number of fair skinned individuals, and those with blood type A, who became ill was generally higher.
This study, she stated, demonstrates the value of identifying our population immuno-epidemiologically, which can allows us to develop personalized treatment based on individual genetic characteristics, and use these findings to design prevention strategies.
Work being done in the country on more than 40 vaccine candidates, in which various institutions have joined forces, was also discussed during the meeting.
Dr. Pedro Más Bermejo, vice-president of the Cuban Society of Hygiene and Epidemiology, spoke about the experiences of other countries in developing models of the epidemic’s evolution. He recalled that in Cuba, after the peak that occurred within 45 days of the first cases confirmed, the numbers of active patients began to fall, but on day 89 they rose again, due to specific events, including those at the Epoca department store, the AICA laboratories, and the ship that arrived from Mexico to Matanzas province.
The way in which this situation was handled, he noted, showed that it is possible to contain the occurrence of outbreaks, if we act immediately and adopt appropriate measures, based on the experience we have gained.
Associated with this issue, Deputy Prime Minister Roberto Morales Ojeda stressed the importance of not neglecting any of the measures that have been implemented. The way the disease has behaved in other nations after relaxing restrictions, he said, confirms that when the epidemic appears to be ebbing is precisely when we must more strictly comply with preventative measures.
(Source: Granma)