Havana, July 7 (RHC)-- With the presence of Major General Ramon Pardo Guerra, head of the National Civil Defense Staff, the Havana Defense Council met this Tuesday for an update on the confrontation with COVID-19.

Dr. Carlos Alberto Martínez, provincial director of Health, reported that of the 14 cases confirmed today, four are related to the event in the municipality of Cerro, in the Abel Santamaría health area, and eight to the focus control in the municipality of Centro Habana, in the Reina (7) and Van Troi (1) health areas. One case is from the municipality of La Habana Vieja, from the R. Zulueta health area, and one from the Cotorro, from the Cuatro Caminos health area.

Martínez presented the proposal to open the local transmission event with reinforcement measures in the Pilar Atarés Popular Council, in the Abel Santamaría health area, in the municipality of Cerro. The event has 19 confirmed cases, with contacts in San Miguel del Padrón and East Havana.

As a result of the increase in confirmed cases, it was decided to apply reinforced isolation measures in four blocks of the Abel Santamaría polyclinic health area in the Pilar Atarés popular council in Cerro, which has a population of 2042 inhabitants.

Yesterday, 2377 PCRs were processed and the province has an accumulated incidence rate of 62.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, with the municipalities of Cotorro, Centro Habana, Cerro, Regla, La Habana del Este, La Lisa and La Habana Vieja above the provincial average.

The province meets the reproductive index (Ro) by staying below 1 (0.53) and also meets all five indicators, with the municipalities of Cerro and Cotorro in particular failing to do so.

Seventy-six health inspections were carried out and 70 fines were imposed as a result.  A total of 784,813 people were investigated and 71 suspected of having an ARI were identified, of which 11 were found to be suspects.

Within the area, medical care and screening of 100% of the residents will be ensured, as well as the supply of food and personal hygiene items.

In addition, five pedestrian and vehicular access points will be provided with containment measures and control measures will be applied.  The strategy to be implemented includes studies concluded in the control of outbreaks, PCR in the most vulnerable areas, and the development of a new strategy for the control of the disease.