Silvia Lutucuta reported that the eight new cases are of local contamination, seven of which are from the Futungo health fence, all asymptomatic, and the other from a private clinic, which also provides assistance to cases of covid-19, which shared an infirmary with case 50, an 88-year-old patient who died.
According to the minister, the new patient in the private clinic is a patient with advanced stage cancer, acute renal failure and is now diagnosed with covid-19, and is therefore considered a patient at risk, although so far no clinical manifestation associated with the new coronavirus has been shown.
The minister said that the health fence on the floor of this private clinic, implemented on the 19th of this month, after the diagnosis of case 50, and as a public health, epidemiological and laboratory surveillance measure, all patients and health professionals are being tested and evaluated.
"It is worth mentioning that case 50, who died at the age of 88, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which worsened substantially with covid-19 and as part of the screening we have been doing on all severe respiratory syndromes, it was tested and the diagnosis came and for this reason it was placed on the health fence there", explained Silvia Lutucuta.
During the hospitalisation of case 50, two more patients were infected, who shared the infirmary, one of them, a 43 year old patient with chronic renal failure, in terminal stage, due to failure of all vascular accesses and who was prepared to undergo peritoneal dialysis, resulting in the fourth death.
"All patients and professionals in this area continue to be tested, it has not yet been concluded and it was by this way that the diagnosis of the patient was made who, unfortunately, evolved to death," he said.
On a global level, according to an assessment by the AFP news agency, the covid-19 pandemic has already caused more than 342,000 deaths and infected more than 5.3 million people in 196 countries and territories. More than two million patients have been considered cured.
