Havana, January 15 (RHC)—The Cuban Public Health Ministry announced on Friday the diagnoses of  547 new cases of Covid-19  and two fatalities over the last 24 hours.

This brings the cumulative to  17 096 positive cases and 182 deaths since March 11, 2020

Speaking on national television Friday, Dr. Francisco Duran, the National Chief of Epidemiology, said that there were 7647 people hospitalized, among them 3970 positive cases.

The specialist added that the new cases were overwhelmingly confirmed case contacts and noted that since November 15, almost 70% of the newly detected patients had been linked to international travelers.

He described this trend as a violation of quarantine protocols since the newly arrived did not wait for the results of the second PCR test instructed to conduct regular social activities.

Regarding the provinces with the most cases, Havana again topped the list with 148, followed by Santiago de Cuba with 88, and  Matanzas with 82.

Of the newly diagnosed, 32 were imported cases.