Clinical-Epidemiological Characteristics of the First Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 in Cuba.
By Niurka Molina-Águila,Elba Cruz-Rodríguez,Rita M Ferrán-Torres,Belkys M Galindo-Santana,Yanaris López-Almaguer,Manuel Romero-Placeres
May 13, 2021
COVID-19 is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, the same day that the first cases in Cuba were diagnosed. In Cuba, all confirmed cases of COVID-19 were hospitalized from this point forward.
Characterize the first patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Cuba.
METHODS We carried out a descriptive, cross-sectional study of 415 suspected cases of COVID-19 admitted to the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute in Havana, Cuba, from March 11, 2020 through April 10, 2020. (In Cuba, all patients suspected of being COVID-19-positive were admitted to hospitals or isolation centers for observation and treatment.) Of these 415 individuals, 63 (15.2%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Information was obtained from the Institute’s databases as well as a standardized interview form for cases confirmed or suspected as infected with the novel coronavirus. We considered the following variables: age, sex, occupation at the time of interview, national origin, personal health history, time elapsed between symptom onset and hospital admission, signs and symptoms, diagnosis and status at discharge. We based our analysis on frequency distributions and double-entry contingency tables.