Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez affirmed this Thursday that Cuba exhibits “major breakthroughs and results in the struggle against racism and discrimination,” but acknowledged that on this sensitive issue “more is yet to be done.” “In Cuba, the triumph of the Revolution led to a radical transformation process that dealt an overwhelming blow to the structural underpinnings of racism and eradicated institutionalized racial discrimination,” said the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking today online in the Ministerial Meeting on the Elimination of Racism, Xenophobia and Racial Discrimination. However, quoting President Miguel Díaz-Canel, he pointed out that “there are still a few vestiges remaining in our society, not due to a government policy, but as part of the culture of some people” and said that Cubans have “every right and the opportunity to carry out coherent and impactful actions that will help us solve these problems in our society.” As an example of this and of the “commitment of our government” on this issue, Rodríguez explained that “in November 2019, the National Program against Racism and Racial Discrimination was approved, under the coordination of a Government Commission led by the President of the Republic of Cuba.” https://oncubanews.com/en/echoes/race-and-heredity-in-contemporary-cuban-society/ Furthermore, in his speech...

Cuban Minister of Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feito announced this Wednesday the approval of readjustment measures in the payment systems in the budgeted and business sectors. She explained in the Mesa Redonda TV program that among these modifications was the improvement of the wage mechanisms for highly qualified workers, based on mobile income in groups VII and VIII of the wage scale. To define the category of highly qualified operator, she said, having a senior high school or an intermediate technician education will be required. According to the minister, the measure benefits 12,400 workers, who will be paid retroactively since January. This measure implies 67 million CUP annually and will be financed, fundamentally, by the enterprises to which they belong. These groups include positions associated with the generation, repair and maintenance of networks, maritime-port and fishing, railway, industrial and aviation activities. The analysis has not concluded, she stressed, and the Ministry will finish it now in February. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/cuba-prepara-una-reforma-salarial-con-maxima-prioridad/ On the other hand, she reported that it had been decided to differentiate the wages of general and high school teachers from those of higher technical graduates, so that teachers are hierarchically ranked depending on their academic level and professional...

The Council of State of the Republic of Cuba approved this Tuesday three new decree-laws “in compliance with its legislative work,” according to the island’s National Assembly. The approval took place during a session of that collegiate body, which represents the Assembly between its sessions, held in Havana’s Capitol and in which Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero participated via videoconference. The new decree-laws approved were one on the Technical Advisory Council, another on postal services and a third that recognizes educational centers of the armed forces as universities. However, this time the agenda did not include the expected decree-law on animal welfare, officially scheduled for the current month and of which the Cuban parliament’s note does not mention. https://twitter.com/AsambleaCuba/status/1361851391053070338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1361851391053070338%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-aprueban-tres-nuevos-decretos-leyes%2F As explained by the National Assembly, the Decree-Law “On the Technical Advisory Council” establishes “the institution in the organs of the State, agencies of the Central State Administration, higher of Business Management organizations, national entities, local organs of People’s Power, and in all pertinent institutions” a council of this nature” with the objective of studying and issuing recommendations related to their activities, which guarantee making decisions based on the application of science, technology and innovation.” Meanwhile, the...

Cuba will have its first regulatory laboratory for transgenic foods, belonging to the National Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology (INHEM), in Havana. The purpose of the installation is to monitor nationally developed or imported genetically modified organisms (GMOs), said the head of the INHEM Laboratory Department, José Antonio Carrera, quoted by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency. “Through this means we will verify that the events inoculated in the products really correspond and are safe and innocuous for the population’s consumption,” the specialist specified. Carrera added that the facility is in the completion of its construction phase and that they already have some equipment, while others will arrive soon through a project with the French Development Agency. He affirmed that the installation will have high technology and reliability, and must have the approval of the corresponding international organizations for its operation, which is why they have the advice of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB). https://oncubanews.com/en/opinion/columns/counterbalance/should-cuba-promote-introduction-of-genetically-modified-organisms-in-agriculture/ According to the source, the INHEM has the mission of ensuring the development of hygiene, epidemiology, microbiology, nutrition and food safety in Cuba, and is part of the National Commission for the Use of Genetically Modified Organisms in Cuban agriculture,...

SARS-CoV-2 virus infections rose again and tomorrow the pandemic could set another record in Cuba. According to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) the figure reported after the analysis of more than 17,000 samples is 923, in a day in which deaths also rose to five. The deceased now number 282; 66 just in February. They correspond to four men and one woman whose age ranges between 73 and 89 years. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1362417157238382599?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1362417157238382599%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-sigue-fuera-de-control-en-cuba%2F Havana and Pinar del Río were their provinces of residence, and the origin of the disease in one of the cases, that of a resident of Centro Habana, was not known to date. Havana also accounted for the highest number of infections today, 461, followed by Santiago de Cuba (117), Pinar del Río (87), Mayabeque (44) and Camagüey (40). As for the 923 new infections, 887 are due to autochthonous transmission while 36 were imported, mostly from Russia and the United States. The territories where this indicator had the highest incidence rate are Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey. On the day, 13 foreigners were also diagnosed with COVID-19. Russia has been the country from which the most cases were identified. Until Wednesday midnight, 18,611 people were still hospitalized...

The Havana authorities recognized violations and problems in the control of COVID-19 in the city, which has become the epicenter of the current outbreak of the disease in Cuba. During the daily meeting of the Provincial Defense Council (CDP), the main leaders of the Cuban capital “called for looking into the causes that motivate the growing number of infections” and listed a group of difficulties detected in dealing with the coronavirus, among them the “lack of in-depth screenings, including those carried out by medical students in the community, in addition to other violations of control measures, such as those related to rigor in places where there are foci of the pandemic,” Tribuna de La Habana reported. Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, president of the Provincial Defense Council, acknowledged that “there is a breach of norms and protocols in the municipalities that cannot be allowed” and pointed out that “when they occur, those responsible should be punished.” https://oncubanews.com/en/coronavirus/cuba-so-far-in-february-more-infections-from-covid-than-in-all-of-2020/ At the meeting, the SARS-CoV-2 transmission event opened in the Carlos Baliño Cigar Factory was particularly analyzed, “in order to evaluate causes, conditions and violations that led to transmissions in the entity,” said Tribuna, according to which “it was known that two workers came...

Volunteers from Mexico could participate in the clinical trials of the Cuban Soberana 02 COVID-19 vaccine candidate, according to that country’s government. Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Marcelo Ebrard said that there is communication between the Secretariat of Health and the laboratory in Cuba which is carrying out the development of this vaccine, so that part of its phase three tests can be carried out in Mexico, reported the daily Granma. The drug produced by the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV) showed safety and efficacy in terms of generating antibodies: more than 70% of the patients presented a strong response to the first dose, according to the director of that scientific center, Dr. Vicente Vérez. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/science-cuba/health-in-cuba/cuban-vaccines-doing-well/ Cuban scientists are currently designing Phase III of the trials with Soberana 02, which should begin in March in Havana with the administration of the vaccine to more than 42,000 people, Vérez explained recently. Likewise, 50,000 Iranian volunteers will participate in the study with the Cuban candidate, recognized on the official website of the World Health Organization among the projects in the COVID-19 clinical trial phases since last November. The head of public relations of the Iranian Ministry of Health, Kianush Yahanpur, said at the...

Minister of Economy Alejandro Gil underlined the role of the private sector (self-employment) in Cuba’s economic revitalization and in the generation of jobs. “The improvement and expansion of self-employment, in addition to the generation of new jobs, will provide the economy with greater vitality, diversification and competitiveness. That is the road to follow. We all win,” Gil said on his Twitter account. In this Tuesday’s Mesa Redonda television program, Gil stated that “there is no contradiction between individual interests and the interests of the country, we have to renounce selfishness and individualism, and there are many examples of the worth of self-employed workers, that is Cuba, that is our people.” Minister of Economy Alejandro Gil. Photo Mesa Redonda According to official statistics, today there are more than 600,000 self-employed workers on the island. This figure represents 13% of employment; 30% are young and 35% women. “Activities in the world are closing down, companies are going bankrupt and the unemployment rate in Latin America is estimated to exceed 10%,” said Gil. However, he said, to work is the most dignified way for a Cuban to live and the best way to face this context, “it’s not by closing or limiting, it’s...

The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reported that, after the positive diagnosis of 824 people yesterday, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused 40,775 infections in Cuba. Most of the cases detected this time are due to autochthonous transmission of the disease (805) and Havana continues to report the largest number of cases; this time with 472, data that keeps it at the forefront in terms of incidence rates. In addition, Santiago de Cuba (129 cases), Guantánamo (44), Mayabeque (30), Ciego de Ávila (29), Holguín (25) and Camagüey (20) reported the highest figures in a day when 16,134 samples were processed, according to the MINSAP. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1362054521652994050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1362054521652994050%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-cuba-sobrepasa-los-40-000-contagios-y-suma-277-muertes%2F Deaths from COVID-19, a disease caused by the virus, rose to 277 with the loss of three men between the ages of 63 and 76. They were from Havana and Pinar del Río. In this regard, Dr. Francisco Durán, after presenting the study prepared by a MINSAP work team, stressed the importance of seeking help from specialists in the event of the slightest symptom of the new coronavirus. Because, according to the study that analyzes the evolution of patients since November 15, those who took longer in seeking help from specialists experienced a more torpid or...

In the first fifteen days of February, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has left figures that were unthinkable in Cuba months ago: 12,346 infections and 50 deaths, according to the report issued today by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). The statistics are about to exceed those of January, the month that broke all the pandemic records since the first cases were diagnosed on March 11. According to the information provided by Minister of Public Health José Ángel Portal Miranda, at the end of the second week the average number of daily cases amounted to 822.9, higher than that registered at the end of January, of 501.2 cases per day. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1361694432999931915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1361694432999931915%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-en-lo-que-va-de-febrero-el-coronavirus-produce-mas-contagios-que-en-todo-el-2020%2F The minister also added during yesterday’s meeting of the Temporary Working Group for the Prevention and Control of the new coronavirus, that in February, Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo concentrated 75% percent of the diagnosed cases. Today, Havana has confirmed its complicated situation, which is why it heads the territories with the highest incidence rate, reporting 488 cases and three of the five deaths. The other deceased was from Camagüey. Altogether, COVID-19 adds 274 deaths (four men and one woman today, with ages between 58 and 84 years). Just in...

Specialists from the Cuban National Center for Seismological Research (CENAIS) are carefully observing the increase in seismic activity registered since the beginning of the year in the northern Caribbean, manifested from the Virgin Islands to Cuba’s easternmost region. The Seismological Alert System has reported a significant increase in telluric movements related to the fault in the north of Hispaniola and its continuity in the Puerto Rico Trench, Prensa Latina news agency reported. However, Cuban experts denied that, despite this, a recent tsunami alert has been issued for Cuba, as has been reported on some sites and on social media. Es importante señalar que esta vigilancia sísmica en el norte del Caribe es parte de las misiones del Servicio... Publicada por Enrique Diego Arango Arias en Lunes, 15 de febrero de 2021 According to specialists Enrique Arango and Bladimir Moreno, CENAIS has compiled a database from the catalogs of the Puerto Rico Seismological Network, the Loyola Seismological Observatory of the Dominican Republic and the National Seismological Service of Cuba, to better appreciate this telluric activity. As a result of this investigation, the specialists of the center created a map that shows the earthquakes registered from January 1 to February 11, 2021 throughout...

Cepwar, the only private business dedicated to “integral safety locksmith approved in Cuba” produces safes from discarded gas cylinders and is already marketing its first productions, Cubadebate reported. After signing a commercial contract, the venture located in Las Tunas sent safes to the Commerce, Gastronomy and Services Business Group in that province, for which they will manufacture about a thousand units. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/economy/cuban-economy/cuba-publishes-list-of-prohibited-activities-for-private-sector/ “We have a demand for 990 safes and today we do not have them,” said the general director of that Business Group, Rolando Rodríguez, quoted by the source. The commerce, gastronomy and services sector in the eastern province has 1,148 centers that handle cash and one of its main needs is the protection of cash, he commented. The self-employed Edwar García said that the liquefied gas containers, from which they obtain their sheet metal, “meet the characteristics of the standards based on their resistance and durability” for the manufacture of their products. He explained that through the Department of Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment and International Cooperation they managed to “link up” with enterprises such as the one of raw materials, which supplies them with the necessary aluminum and other essential materials for these productions. García pointed out that...

After the detection yesterday of 715 infections from the new coronavirus, 91 less than on Saturday, Cuba added 39,004 cases to almost a year of confrontation with the pandemic and in a month that threatens to break January records. Most of those diagnosed until midnight with COVID-19 were autochthonous transmissions and 663 had contact with confirmed cases, according to this Monday’s report by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). A total of 17,807 samples were processed. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1361332377419661314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1361332377419661314%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-supera-los-39-000-contagios-por-coronavirus%2F Also on Sunday there were three deaths, with which the death toll now stands at 269. They are three women, between 59 and 82 years old and residents in the provinces of Havana and Santiago de Cuba. Havana continues to be the territory that reports the highest number of cases daily, 345 this time; it also remains as the province with the highest incidence rate (281.25 per 100 000 inhabitants), followed by Guantánamo (234.36) and Santiago de Cuba (174.70). These eastern territories were also the ones that contributed the highest number of cases yesterday (Santiago 100 cases; Guantánamo 42), along with Camagüey that reported 42 positive cases. Imported cases dropped to 13, the majority from travelers from Russia and the United States. On...

Cuban border guard troops captured a speedboat with three Bahamian crew members in waters off the eastern tip of the country, carrying around a ton of marijuana, the state media reported this Sunday. The international drug trafficking operation intended to pass the drug shipment through the narrow Windward Passage—between the islands of Cuba and its neighbor Hispaniola—and continue to the Bahamas, bound for the United States market, says the note published in the Cubadebate website. It also points out that this is the second speedboat with drugs captured in that area of ​​the country in recent months and the fourth major marijuana trafficking operation frustrated in the Windward Passage by Cuban authorities since May to date. During 2019, the Cuban customs authorities seized 21 kilos of drugs, a considerable decrease compared to the more than 60 kilos intercepted the previous year at air terminals. Predominating among the confiscated drugs were both liquid and solid cocaine, followed by marijuana, while the cases of detection of synthetic drugs such as cannabis oil increased. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/mas-de-dos-mil-toneladas-de-marihuana-incautadas-en-el-oriente-de-cuba/ Cuba maintains that its anti-drug policy is one of “zero tolerance” for those who try to use its air and maritime space for the illegal drug trade. Drug...

In the usual daily report of Dr. Francisco Durán García, national director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), Cuba reported this Saturday 806 positive cases of COVID-19 and five deaths from the disease. The specialist indicated that 18,362 samples were processed for the diagnosis of COVID-19 in the 21 laboratories of the country and that 658 medical discharges were given. Meanwhile, there are still 18,329 hospitalized patients, of which 3,361 are suspects, 10,168 are under surveillance and 4,800 are confirmed cases. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1360968307776626690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1360968307776626690%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcoronavirus%2Fcuba-confirma-806-nuevos-casos-de-coronavirus-y-cinco-fallecidos%2F The number of 806 new coronavirus infections is slightly lower than that of the previous days, but it is still high compared to the months in which the disease was controlled. Havana continues as the epicenter of the pandemic with 387 positive cases, followed by the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo with 116 and 92 patients, respectively. Durán explained that 37 patients remain in critical condition, 33 in serious condition and there are 4,800 active cases, of which 4,730 have a stable clinical evolution. He insisted on the need to find the largest number of infected people and to trace the contacts of confirmed cases. For several weeks Cuba has experienced a new...

Today Cuba is going through its worst outbreak of COVID-19. Since the end of last year, the coronavirus has spread again throughout the island, after months of indisputable success in its confrontation. As a consequence, the numbers of infections and deaths from the disease have increased significantly since then. The case curve began to rise in November, after the opening of international airports and, especially, Havana’s José Martí, the main gateway to the country. After a sustained growth, January marked an alarming peak, compared to previously recorded statistics, reporting in its 31 days more than 15,500 infected and 70 deaths from the disease. Although measures and restrictions have been tightened, both nationally and locally, February aims to surpass those dismal numbers. The authorities blamed international travelers mostly for the surge in infections—particularly Cuban residents and non-residents who started arriving in avalanche when the borders were opened—; and non-compliance by these and their families of the protocols established for travelers. Said protocols, among other things, prohibited them from leaving the houses and meeting with more people until it was ruled out, by means of a second PCR, that they were free of SARS-CoV-2. Irregularities and delays in reporting on these diagnostic...

Researchers from the Center for Advanced Studies (CEA) of Cuba designed and produced a product for the diagnosis of PCR samples, the first innovation based on nanotechnology developed by Cuban scientists to combat COVID-19. The general director of the Center for Advanced Studies, Angelina Díaz, explained that it is a product that uses magnetic nanoparticles to extract ribonucleic acid (RNA) from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes the infectious disease, the newspaper Granma reported. https://twitter.com/PresidenciaCuba/status/1359891470870847498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1359891470870847498%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-produce-diagnosticador-de-pcr-a-partir-de-nanotecnologia%2F The Cuban diagnostic product, which was validated at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK), can be used with imported PCR kits and does not require a cold chain for its conservation, said Díaz. It also favors greater security in the detection of positive cases because its high sensitivity and ability to concentrate the samples, prevents false negative diagnoses. The Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (CECMED)—Cuba’s regulatory institution—has already granted it authorization for emergency use, the source indicated. Based on this application of nanotechnology, Cuba is in a position to carry out the extraction and concentration of RNA by the magnetic method for some 20,000 daily PCRs, according to Granma. The general director of the CEA stressed that the island...

The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reported 888 new infections due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the last 24 hours, a day when Havana once again contributed the largest number of cases and one of its municipalities is at the head of the autochthonous transmission. Centro Habana leads the 12 municipalities that have an incidence rate of 50.8% in the last 15 days, followed by Guantánamo, a municipality that has led this indicator for weeks and has kept the province of the same name in second place in terms of at provincial incident rate. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1360608809153142784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1360608809153142784%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcentro-habana-el-municipio-donde-la-covid-19-se-transmite-mas-de-prisa-en-los-ultimos-15-dias%2F Just on Friday, Centro Habana contributed 45 of the infections in the capital, only surpassed by La Lisa. The situation, according to local authorities, worsens in the Los Sitios People’s Council, the main focus of the pandemic with 28.5% of the cases reported in the last 15 days. According to the president of the Municipal Defense Council, Javier Martínez Díaz, quoted by the newspaper Tribuna de La Habana, the highest number of cases come from two of the five health areas: the Reyna and Van Troy polyclinics. For this reason, in addition to the increase in restrictive measures, others were announced such as the use...

After documents from the administration of former President Donald Trump declassified this Thursday revealed deficiencies in the handling of the health incidents reported by U.S. diplomats in Havana, officials and scientists from the island hope that Joe Biden will reverse the hostile measures against Cuba since they would have been imposed based on what they call false pretests. “Every day it is confirmed more that there was no attack against diplomatic personnel in Havana,” Johana Tablada, deputy director for the United States of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Relations (MINREX), told journalist Andrea Rodríguez of The Associated Press this Thursday. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba-usa/official-document-reveals-chaos-and-disorder-in-trumps-response-to-sonic-attacks-in-cuba/ Reports by employees of the U.S. Embassy affected by headaches, nausea, deafness and vomiting, among other symptoms between 2016 and 2017 were attributed by Trump officials to alleged sonic attacks or unknown sources, and meant as of 2018 the application of a dramatic policy of measures against Cuba. “The people of Cuba deserve the reversal of measures taken based on false pretexts,” said Tablada. “If there was no attack, the U.S. consulate in Havana should not have been closed, Cuban families should not have been prevented from assisting loved ones in Florida and vice versa, bilateral agreements should not...

On the day that Cubans reached eleven months in the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic, 21 laboratories of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) identified 823 new infections, a slight decrease compared to the previous day. On the other hand, four deaths were again reported. Most of today’s infections had an autochthonous origin and 57.6% of the incidence rate is concentrated in 12 municipalities in four provinces, although the highest number is in Havana. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1360246966962290690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1360246966962290690%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fen-once-meses-de-pandemia-cuba-suma-36-595-contagios-y-257-fallecidos%2F Also, three of the new deceased had their residence in the capital: two women aged 76 and 88, as well as a man aged 54. The fourth death was reported in Santiago de Cuba and was an 85-year-old woman. With the day’s fatalities, the death toll now stands at 257, although the island’s fatality rate is 0.46%. The capital also reported 480 infections from to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, followed by Santiago de Cuba (98) and Guantánamo (70), the three regions with the highest incidence rates, followed by the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. At the national level, the statistics are 108.14 per 100,000 inhabitants. “But the risk is everywhere,” said Dr. Francisco Durán, who stressed that, until midnight, 72 people, one less...

The Infertile Couples Care Program in Cuba reached an annual record number of 7,027 pregnancies in 2020, although the number of births decreased by more than 1,000 compared to the previous year. According to a report released by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), last year less couples were seen, and they decreased to 25,774 due to the limitations imposed by COVID-19. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1359182317042995202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1359182317042995202%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-programa-de-atencion-a-parejas-infertiles-alcanza-record-de-embarazos-en-2020%2F Since 2018, 166,631 infertile couples have been identified on the island and some 160,813 were treated for the first time in municipal doctor’s offices, which translates into 99.3 percent of the total, according to the source. More than 25,000 received infertility treatment at the municipal level, and 4,894 pregnancies were achieved, which demonstrates the potential to resolve infertility when attending the first level of care in a timely manner, indicates the MINSAP report. Births achieved through the Infertile Couples Care Program in Cuba. Infographic: salud.msp.gob.cu However, the text points out persistent organizational deficiencies and a gap between couples attended, those who receive follow-up and the pregnancies achieved. Created in 2016, the Infertile Couples Care Program is a priority for the Cuban government because “it contributes to an increase in the birth rate in the medium term,...

Advocacy and human rights groups, faith organizations, Cuban-American groups, environmental, academic and business organizations this Wednesday sent a letter to the Biden-Harris administration urging it to take immediate action to fulfill a campaign pledge: to reverse the failed Trump policies that inflicted harm on Cubans and their families. The document, signed by 56 organizations, recommends specific policies that, in their opinion, should be taken to initiate a more constructive engagement policy towards Cuba. And they base this on the fact that it is both in the national interest of the United States and of the Cuban people to move rapidly towards more normal relations. Finally, they call on Congress to initiate and pass legislative measures to end the U.S. embargo. For the president of the Washington Office for Latin America (WOLA), Geoff Thale, “the policies of the Trump era did nothing to promote either the relationship between the United States and Cuba, or the welfare of the people. Cuban. Important events are taking place on the island and growing support in the United States for more open relations with Cuba. The Biden-Harris administration should reverse Trump’s policies and then take steps forward. Doing so would open a space for cooperation...

Cuba woke with more than a thousand discharges, four deaths and 850 infections in the last 24 hours, eight less than in the previous day and the majority (830) due to the autochthonous transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to the report by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). The situation looks extremely complicated and, due to this reality, the ICUs have once again set a new record, with 73 patients admitted until midnight; 36 in critical condition and 37 in serious condition. Among them there are people whose age ranges between 100 and 39 years, although the highest concentration appears among those in their seventies. The records from Pinar del Río, Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba are abundant, even though most of the cases are reported in hospitals in the capital. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1359881811061538817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1359881811061538817%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-mas-altas-menos-contagios-mas-pacientes-en-cuidados-intensivos%2F Once again, Havana identified an alarming number of new cases of COVID-19: 582 infections and eight municipalities among those with the highest transmission of the virus in the last fifteen days, something that has placed it as the territory with the highest incidence rate, 272.04 per every 100,000 inhabitants. The day’s deaths were two men and two women, between 62 and 90 years old and residing in...

The two-time world taekwondo champion in the 87 kilograms, Rafael Alba, the only Cuban in the discipline classified for the Tokyo Olympic Games, will begin his training in March in the city of Manchester, England, that sport's Federation reported this Tuesday. Alba, the champion at the Puebla 2013 and Manchester 2019 events, also won a bronze medal at the World Cup in the Russian city Chelyabinsk in 2015. “It would be in Manchester and not just Rafael, because athletes from other divisions would also go. He is part of the English team’s preparation for the Olympic Games,” said the president of the Cuban Taekwondo Federation, Iván Fernández. Fernández said that the Cuban athletes will stay approximately 20 days to a month in England. He added that only the members of the preselection that are preparing to attend the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2022 will stay in Cuba, as well as the athletes who will attend the qualifying tournament in the Dominican Republic for the 1st Pan American Youth Games in Cali, Colombia, in September. EFE/OnCuba

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil Fernández said this Tuesday that of the 127 activities allowed for self-employment, now more than 2,000 can be carried out. Speaking at the Mesa Redonda TV program, he said that it was not just a change in the list of activities, but something much broader and that includes other measures such as the improvement of the tax system, making flexible the paperwork and the administrative mechanisms to issue authorizations for self-employment. He said that the blockade had had a severe impact on self-employment considering the suppression of cruises, tourism and the effects on travel, all measures that had an impact on private restaurants (paladares) and on the leasing of rooms and homes, among other economic activities. He also alluded to the weight of the pandemic, which inevitably led to the closure of businesses and the reduction of service delivery hours. Due to these circumstances, he stressed, around 250,000 self-employed workers had to temporarily suspend their licenses. On the other hand, he said that article 5 of Decree 20/20 prohibits practicing veterinary medicine as a self-employed activity. “In the new design of activities, this prohibition to practice veterinary medicine is...