Havana, July 21 (RHC)-- Havana is preparing to move on to phase two of the post-COVID-19 recovery stage, by meeting four of the five health indicators planned, according to information disclosed Tuesday at the daily meeting of the Provincial Defense Council (PDC) presided over by Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar.

Dr. Carlos Alberto Martínez Blanco, provincial director of Health, informed that the missing indicator is the one about the incidence rate, which although decreased in the last 11 days, it still does not meet the goal.

In addition to the disease's incidence rate, health indicators to advance in the recovery are the reproductive rate, active cases, the number of cases with a known source of infection in the last 15 days, and the number of local transmission events.

Martinez Blanco said that at the end of Monday, 2,999 samples were processed to detect the coronavirus's presence that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, and only one of them tested positive.

Raúl Pérez González, general director of the National Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, said that despite the favorable trend, the possibility of a rebound is real and places such as work centers, public transportation and beaches should be continuously monitored.

Communist Party leader Torres Iríbar urged to maintain control over the supposed zones of silence and to act quickly in the face of any possible transmission event.

"Overconfidence generates setbacks, so it is essential to continue being disciplined," he added.

Cuba has 15 provinces and the Isle of Youth Special Municipality. At present, all provinces and Havana and Mayabeque are implementing phase three of the post-COVID-19 recovery stage, Mayabeque is on phase two and Havana on phase one.