# Sonia Resik, Head of Virology at IPK: At the Cuban epicenter of the fight against COVID-19

**Date:** 03/29/2020

Question: And you have to not go out unless it's necessary

Answer: Of course, no, and we have to eliminate public gatherings. The Government has already banned bars, clubs, nightclubs. We have to reduce sports activities, cultural activities. This is a time to be with family.

Question: And the other thing is, Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel said something at the Round Table that motivated me a lot, that young people who could be healthy vectors, protect their elderly, why?

Answer: Because the elderly person is more vulnerable, already by nature because they are older they are immunocompromised. The most vulnerable populations are small children, who from an immunological point of view for this disease, children seem to have some degree of immunity or something that makes them asymptomatic when infected. But the adult population is not like that, people over 60 years old have to take care of themselves because it is known that they are the most vulnerable population.

The elderly adult generally is the one with the most comorbidities, there are more diabetics, more hypertensives, more smokers, more people with lung diseases in adults.

And young people, even though they feel fine, have to be responsible and know that everything they bring from the street is going to affect their grandparents, their parents, and in this sense they have to be responsible.

Let's do more family life because I believe that technology and the youth's desire to stay up late causes family life to be lost sometimes, and it's time to do family activities, it's time for good reading, for a good movie, for good conversation in the family, for putting the house in order.

We have to think differently and for two months, three months that we do this, life is not going to end and we can try to ensure that in our country the loss of human lives becomes less and less.

Question: Those recommendations are for others, because right now you don't have time to even read, well, to read your science only.

Answer: Right now I'm reading my science. I love movies, I love reading, but now I have to read science, I don't have time to do anything else, but I ask those who can do it at these moments to do it for me and for themselves.