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OnCuba editorial staff

OnCuba Staff

Health personnel in Havana, during the current outbreak of COVID-19, in February 2021. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Coronavirus in Cuba: complicated situation in Havana continues

This Tuesday there were five deaths from COVID-19 and the new infections amounted to 858 to reach close to 35,000 cases, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). In both statistics, Havana presents the most alarming situation. The new fatalities, with which the death toll now stands at 249, come mostly from there: three, residents of 10 de Octubre, Boyeros and Centro Habana; all men between 68 and 77 years old. Meanwhile, the remaining two were from Mayarí (an 80-year-old woman) and Guantánamo (a 49-year-old man). In addition to being at the head of the territories in terms of incidence rate (269.76 per 100,000 inhabitants) and with eight municipalities among the 12 that concentrate 53.2% of transmission in the last 15 days, it is also the province with the highest number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 on this day, 438. Se confirmaron 858 nuevos casos de #COVID19, para un acumulado de 34922. 4943 casos activos 4876 evolución clínica estable 31 pacientes en estado crítico 36 pacientes en estado grave 249 fallecidos (5 en el día) 29674 pacientes recuperados 2 evacuadoshttps://t.co/bPray8nbkn pic.twitter.com/LOAfcmQ5HO — Ministerio de Salud Pública de Cuba (@MINSAPCuba) February 10, 2021 By far, it surpasses Guantánamo (171) and...

Photo: LJC

Open letter to Joe Biden calls for United States to normalize its relations with Cuba

That President Biden dismantle the sanctions system that continues to affect the Cuban people in order to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba is the central request that some 37 intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and analysts, mostly Cubans, subscribed to U.S. President Joe Biden 20 days after the start of his administration. “Lifting the U.S. embargo/blockade unconditionally would be a key step and an act of moral courage. Cubans are hoping for it; U.S. citizens would support it, and the international community would embrace the audacity and wisdom of such an initiative,” says the letter published this Tuesday by the La Joven Cuba website. The most recent petition to the U.S. president emphasizes that “the last four years have been particularly cruel with the Trump administration’s campaign to score political points in Florida,” a circumstance to which the new coronavirus pandemic was added, creating a situation of strangulation of the Cuban people in the face of which the community residing in the United States could do little due to the inability to send remittances and medicines. The letter acknowledges that the United States is not solely responsible for the problems the country faces, however, it points out that “the economic,...

An elderly woman with bread and other purchases walks down a street in Havana during the outbreak of COVID-19 in January 2021. Photo: Otmaro Rodriguez.

Coronavirus: Cuba once again exceeds a thousand discharges while the new infections drop to 580

Cuba surpassed a thousand daily discharges with the 1,099 patients who recovered from COVID-19 today, the highest figure after the one reported on February 1, according to the report published today by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). The MINSAP also reported four deaths this Monday as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with whom the death toll now stands at 244. They are three residents of Havana municipalities, a woman aged 83, a man aged 60 and another aged 92. Meanwhile, the fourth death corresponds to a 79-year-old woman living in the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. Se confirmaron 580 nuevos casos de #COVID19, para un acumulado de 34064. 5071 casos activos 5003 evolución clínica estable 35 pacientes en estado crítico 33 pacientes en estado grave 244 fallecidos (4 en el día) 28693 pacientes recuperados 2 evacuadoshttps://t.co/xMYZr6tODO pic.twitter.com/g4UQRXAka9 — Ministerio de Salud Pública de Cuba (@MINSAPCuba) February 9, 2021 In terms of new infections, today’s 580 represent the lowest number of daily cases from the pandemic reported in the last 15 days. Most were detected in Havana, which diagnosed 292 patients and now appears as the first territory in terms of incidence rate, with an index of...

housing plan in Cuba

Cuba: housing construction plan exceeded the goals proposed for 2020

The Ministry of Construction (MICONS) general director of housing, Vivian Rodríguez, reported this weekend that 47,297 homes were built in Cuba in 2020, which represents 115% of the plan for the year. According to the official, the state housing construction program was fulfilled by 92%, with 13,865 homes completed, while subsidized buildings only reached 61% of the plan, with 7,593 “basic housing units,” the newspaper Granma reported. (21) Presidencia Cuba on Twitter: "Programa #Vivienda | A pesar de sus resultados aún en medio de las actuales condiciones, se acumulan incumplimientos en el otorgamiento de subsidios y levantamiento de cédulas básicas habitacionales (CBH), dirigidos a favorecer a las familias vulnerables. https://t.co/dNYbJli7Kb" / Twitter During an analysis of the National Housing Program, chaired by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Rodríguez acknowledged that the bulk of the new homes were built through the efforts of their owners: 25,839 units out of the planned 13,632. Deputy Prime Minister Ramiro Valdés pointed to the accumulated breaches in the subsidy program, aimed at favoring vulnerable families, according to the source. “These are the neediest people; we owe them, but this is not being given due attention. The Party and the government in the territories have to take...

Plazuela de Albear, on Monserrate Street, or Avenida de Bélgica, in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba reports 653 new cases of coronavirus, two deaths and 855 discharges

New infections due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus fell to 653, according to this Monday’s Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) report, which also notified of two deaths and 855 discharges. Of the total diagnoses on Monday, 653 were contacts of confirmed cases, while the contagion in 639 individuals was due to autochthonous transmission. Havana continues to be the most affected province, with 289 patients from COVID-19; 287 of them were infected by local transmission. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1358795253097107458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1358795253097107458%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-notifica-653-nuevos-casos-de-coronavirus-dos-fallecidos-y-855-altas%2F 14 of the 15 Havana municipalities registered patients from the new coronavirus and eight of them are part of the 12 that have had the highest incidence throughout the island during the last two weeks. The others, one from each region, correspond to Guantánamo, Mayabeque, Pinar del Río and Santiago de Cuba. Because of this, Havana also continues to process the largest number of daily tests (8,292 this Monday), followed by Santiago de Cuba, where 2,251 of the 18,981 samples were processed in the MINSAP’s 20 laboratories. There were 14 imported cases and the countries with the highest incidence were Russia, the United States, Spain and Panama. In addition, 9 foreigners were identified with COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. Two deaths were also reported on...

Photo: Otmaro Rodriguez

Tourists who extend their stay in Cuba to be charged 65 dollars for PCR, according to Gaviota

Cuba will charge 65 dollars, or its equivalent in any other freely convertible currency, per PCR for tourists who wish to extend their stay on the island, reported the Gaviota website. In accordance with the modifications to the sanitary protocol against COVID-19 announced by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, international travelers who arrive on the island as of this Saturday will be transferred to isolation centers, Cubadebate reported. For Cubans residing in the country there will be “established centers located in the provinces and it will be free of cost, as well as transportation to the center and return to their residence once the isolation is completed.” And foreigners and Cubans not residing on the island “will be isolated in designated hotel facilities in each territory,” and will have to bear the costs of stay and transportation. Likewise, the Cuban government decided to suspend travel to Haiti, and reduce airline flights from Jamaica and Colombia, a measure that had been applied to operations from the United States, Mexico, Panama, Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic, according to the source. The director of air transportation and international relations of the Institute of Civil Aeronautics of Cuba, Mercedes Vázquez, clarified that these...

cuban vaccine against covid-19

Cuban vaccines doing well

The president of the Biotechnologic and Pharmaceutical Industries Group (BioCubaFarma), Eduardo Martínez Díaz, affirmed this Thursday in the Mesa Redonda TV program that Cuba has sufficient capacities to produce different amounts of vaccines and begin the campaign that will immunize the entire population. The specialist said that the four Cuban vaccine candidates are doing well, even though it is not possible to speak of their complete effectiveness until the planned studies are completed. He highlighted, on the other hand, that they use technological platforms that have demonstrated safety and effectiveness in previous vaccines. And also that a variant can be dedicated to different population groups, such as convalescents, and that different doses are evaluated based on age. Another of the potentialities of Cuban vaccines is that they require a freezing temperature of only two to eight degrees, and given the appearance of new variants of the coronavirus, they can include successive booster doses, he stressed. He also said that only 108 million doses of vaccines have been applied in the world, just over 1% of the population, and that it has been concentrated in thirteen countries, which is why there are not enough quantities available at the moment. https://youtu.be/H3_EG46imSY The...

Ward for patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at the Comandante Manuel Piti Fajardo hospital, Santa Clara, Cuba. Photo: Vanguardia/Archive.

Coronavirus: Cuba reaches its highest number of patients in intensive care

The number of patients in intensive care as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 rose to 63 during Thursday in Cuba, the highest reported, according to Dr. Francisco Durán in his daily appearance. Of this total, 29 patients were in critical condition and 34 in serious condition in hospitals in eight provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. Two of them are minors, and one of those reported today is a 75-year-old Portuguese citizen. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1357706612883021832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1357706612883021832%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-se-eleva-su-nivel-mas-alto-cifra-de-pacientes-en-cuidados-intensivos-en-cuba%2F The patients in intensive care units represent a growing number in recent weeks. By age, they are mostly over fifty years old, a fact that shows the age ranges with the most complications and that can be verified in the report issued by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). In fact, during the last 24 hours four people also died, with whom the death toll rose to 229. The most recent victims of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: three from Havana (a 91-year-old man, another 85 and an 88-year-old woman) and a 60-year-old from Santiago. In total, 14,004 patients remained admitted to hospitals and specialized centers for the care of patients with the new coronavirus until midnight on February 4; of these, 5,544...

family basket

The reorganization’s prices (II): with and without ration card

One month after the beginning of the monetary reorganization in Cuba, many doubts, criteria and dissatisfactions persist in the population. This, despite the fact that since the announcement made on December 10 by the Cuban president, the authorities and the media of the Island have dedicated numerous spaces to inform and explain the measures, changes and rectifications adopted as part of this process.  In particular, the prices of the different products and services―both state and private, official and informal―have been in the sights of many since the beginning of the reorganization became known, and still remain so today, even though not all of them rose or increased in the same way. Therefore, we have thought it appropriate to offer our readers a look at this controversial issue that directly affects the pockets of Cubans and reflects, like few others, the contrasts of a step that both the government and the specialists considered essential―but at the same time complex―to eliminate existing distortions in the Cuban economy and promote its long-awaited take-off. In a first installment, together with a necessary introduction in this regard, we approached through graphics the prices and rates of electricity, gas, drinking water and sewerage, essential services in...

curfew in havana

Havana: new curfew due to increase in coronavirus infections

The Havana authorities imposed as of this Friday and indefinitely a night curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., in order to stop the coronavirus infections, which have shot up in the last two months. The island’s capital, with 2.2 million inhabitants and where a group of containment measures already governed, reported 385 new positive cases this Thursday, and in recent weeks it has concentrated on average half of the new daily cases registered in the country. The total restriction of movement of people and vehicles decreed this Thursday by the Provincial Defense Council (CDP) allows only the circulation of authorized vehicles at night and early morning, and will be in force until the epidemiological situation “is favorable,” the local daily Tribuna de La Habana reported. This is the second time that a curfew has been imposed in the capital since the start of the pandemic. The measure was also in force throughout last September, although then it began at 7:00 p.m. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/havana-between-coronavirus-and-monetary-reorganization/ The CDP also announced a strengthening of the capacities of the hospitals and isolation centers, since the Cuban protocol includes the mandatory hospitalization of all confirmed and suspected cases, as well as the isolation of the contacts...

Men working during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Havana, in January 2021. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba: new cases of COVID-19 descend to 816, but the disease adds five deaths

Five deaths due to COVID-19 focus the news related to the pandemic in Cuba, according to the most recent report issued by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). The new victims are all men: two from Camagüey (93 and 76 years old), two from Havana (85 and 92) and a 76-year-old from Pinar del Río. With them the death toll now stands at 225 from the disease, and the fatality rate is 0.74%. After the 18,095 samples processed, the MINSAP reported that new infections descended slightly to 816; 760 of which were detected in contacts of confirmed cases. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1357344294365917186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1357344294365917186%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-descienden-a-816-los-nuevos-casos-de-covid-19-pero-la-enfermedad-suma-cinco-muertes%2F A total of 793 people were infected with the virus by autochthonous transmission and in 23 the disease was acquired abroad; most of these in Spain and the United States. Havana leads the territories with the highest transmission, with 385 total infections, followed by Santiago de Cuba (170), Mayabeque (58), Guantánamo (55) and Pinar del Río (36), making up 15 provinces. With nine municipalities (Centro Habana, Old Havana, Regla, Plaza, Cerro, Diez de Octubre, Cotorro, Boyero and Marianao) among the 12 with the highest incidence rate in the last 15 days, the capital continues to show a worrying situation. By incidence...

monetary reoganization

The reorganization’s prices (I)

It’s already been a month since the implementation of the monetary reorganization in Cuba. Since last January 1, Cubans face a long-delayed scenario which since its official announcement in December has shaken the island’s day-to-day life and has forced state businesspeople and officials as well as ordinary workers and retirees to use a calculator. No one escapes the impact of the reorganization in their pockets. Even though this process has represented an increase—in many cases, substantial—in wages and pensions it has also brought about a tricky multiplication of many prices, which, together with the chronic economic crisis the country is suffering and the consequent deficit of supplies, is a steep slope for Cuban families. All this, just as Cuba is going through its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the start of the pandemic. The authorities have insisted that the new monetary reality implies, for various reasons, a rise in prices. Minister of Finance and Prices Meisi Bolaños has said that the devaluation of the Cuban peso (CUP) “leads to an increase in costs, not only at the domestic level but in the economy at a macro level”—due to factors such as the rising cost of imports, due to the new exchange...

Tourists in Havana during the outbreak of COVID-19 in January 2021. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Two deaths and 893 new infections, as well as this week’s consequences of COVID-19 for Cuba

All Cuban provinces reported infections from the SARS-CoV-2 virus this Tuesday, when the total number of cases decreased to 893, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) report. Guantánamo continues to lead the provinces in terms of incidence rate (253.3 per 100,000), although the easternmost region reported 138 positive cases, much less than the 492 in Havana, the territory that diagnoses the largest number of daily patients with COVID -19. This is why nine of the Havana municipalities are within the 12 that determine 55.8% of the transmission of the virus in the last 15 days. The largest number of daily tests are processed there, about 7,000. Today, in total, the island’s laboratories processed 17,076 samples in search of the disease, according to the MINSAP. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1356986476811149312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1356986476811149312%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fdos-muertes-y-893-nuevos-contagios-asi-las-consecuencias-de-la-covid-19-para-cuba-este-martes%2F Of the total positive cases registered as of midnight Tuesday, 832 are contacts of confirmed cases and 25 are related to international travelers. In 859 individuals the infection occurred by autochthonous transmission and in 34 cases it was acquired abroad. Two people died: a 70-year-old woman from Arroyo Naranjo and an 80-year-old man from Guantánamo. The sum of fatalities is 220, and the fatality rate is 0.74%. Now the number of hospitalized patients...

Juan Gualberto Gómez Association of Cuban Residents in Toronto solidarity

Donation with medical supplies arrives at port of Mariel

A donation of hospital equipment and medical supplies such as sanitary and expendable hygienic material arrived yesterday in the port of Mariel coming from Canada and sent by Cubans residing in that country. The content includes artificial respiration fans, general anesthesia machine, hospital beds, wheelchairs, orthopedic, gynecology, clinical laboratory, urology and pediatric equipment, among others. The container left the port of Halifax on January 25 with a cargo valued at C$ 586,323. The Juan Gualberto Gómez Association of Cuban Residents in Toronto, solidarity organizations, Canadian institutions and individuals participated in the Sí por Cuba project to send these medical supplies. “Our Juan Gualberto Gómez Association of Cuban Residents in Toronto wants to give special recognition to the Paul’s Transport Inc. Company, without their solidarity and disinterested help it would have been impossible to send the container with medical supplies to our country,” they said. After sealing the donation on November 28, the Association published on its digital platform: “The star of our flag will not fade, it will shine forever as long as there are Cubans and friends of Cuba who work for unity and with love for the good of our Nation.”

Children playing ball wearing masks in the Parque de la Fraternidad, in Havana, after the relaxation of restrictions due to COVID-19 in the city

Cuba registered more children with COVID-19 in January than in all of 2020

Cuba registered around 1,600 pediatric-age patients confirmed with COVID-19 in January of this year, which represents hundreds of infections of children and adolescents more than those reported in all of 2020. The island has reported a total of a 2,882 positive cases for SARS-Cov-2 in that age range since the beginning of the epidemic last March, according to the head of the National Pediatric Group of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Lissette del Rosario López, cited by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/cuba-con-la-cifra-mas-elevada-de-casos-pediatricos-con-covid-19/ During the first month of 2021, the highest number of infected infants was also reported, 49%, and of them two out of five are three months old or less, the specialist explained. According to the source, until the end of this Sunday, 586 minors remained hospitalized, and 82.8% of all children and adolescents diagnosed during the pandemic had already recovered from the contagious disease. López said that no pediatric patient has died in Cuba due to “the robust action protocol, with personalized medical care according to the needs of each infant.” She affirmed that Cuban health personnel carry out “meticulous work” to prevent secondary effects, through strict vigilance for any warning signs and early...

new SARS-CoV-2 virus infections reported

New coronavirus record in Cuba with 1,044 cases on first day of February

The 1,044 new SARS-CoV-2 virus infections reported on the first day of February set a new record in Cuba during its battle against the pandemic, which began for its inhabitants last year on March 11. Most of the cases were autochthonous (1,022), illustrating the main reason for the transmission today, according to the information provided by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) through the usual press conference of its director of Epidemiology, Dr. Francisco Duran. Of the new patients, 980 were contacts of confirmed cases, while the imported infections of the day rose slightly to 22. The countries with incidence this time were the United States, Namibia and Spain. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1356620488311787524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1356620488311787524%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-establece-nuevo-record-en-cuba-con-1044-casos-al-empezar-febrero%2F Havana continues to be the province with the highest number of daily cases, 483 today; in fact, nine of its municipalities have the highest incidence rate of the disease in the last 15 days. But the situation is also complicated in territories such as Santiago de Cuba (165 infections today), Guantánamo (145) and Pinar del Río (58). The three registered the highest number of cases yesterday, and except for Camagüey, which did not report COVID-19 patients despite having reported 36 positive cases the previous day, all provinces diagnosed positive cases....

Cuba announces differentiated prices for private sector

Cuba establishes differentiated prices for private carriers’ fuel

As part of the process of monetary and exchange rate unification, in force since the beginning of this year, as of February 1 Cuba will sell fuel at a differentiated price to private carriers and the state sector. A note published on the website of Cimex—the state corporation that markets fuel on the island—announced the new prices, in Cuban pesos, for self-employed workers who provide “regular” cargo and passenger transportation services, or both services through the use of debit cards. From now on they will be subject to the provisions of Resolution 350 of 2020 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, regarding wholesale fuel prices. The new rate establishes for the liter of gasoline according to the octane (83, 90 and 95) prices of 14.66, 16.46 and 17.37 Cuban pesos (CUP), and in the case of regular and special diesel fuel they will be sold at 13.99 and 15.12 pesos, respectively. Fuel may be purchased at gas stations by private carriers that are holders of a Transportation Operation License (LOT), states the Cimex note reproduced by the state media. In Cuba the convertible peso (CUC)—parity with the dollar—and the national peso currency (CUP) circulated until the government launched on...

Soberana 02 vaccine tests

Coronavirus: Cuba plans to test its vaccines on minors this month

Cuba plans to begin trials on minors at the end of February with the Soberana 01 and Soberana 02 COVID-19 vaccine candidates, Dr. Vicente Vérez, general director of the Finlay Vaccine Institute, announced. The age range of the sample of volunteers in this phase of the test will span from five to 19 years, said Vérez during a virtual meeting with the Pan American Health Organization, according to the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency. https://twitter.com/CVInternacional/status/1355275073712779268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1355275073712779268%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-cuba-planea-probar-sus-vacunas-en-menores-de-edad-este-mes%2F The specialist affirmed that the Finlay Institute has vast experience of clinical trials in pediatric ages, since previously all its vaccines were destined for this population. According to the source, the doctor pointed out that the population from zero to five years old is the most vaccinated in Cuba, and that the possibility of including it in the COVID vaccine trials in the future will be analyzed. Likewise, he affirmed that the study with the Soberana 02 candidate has shown “very good levels of safety, and that this provides a higher guarantee for the pediatric setting.” Vérez explained that so far no trials are planned in people over 80 years of age “because this age group, although it is the most at risk, has...

Men transporting wood during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Havana, in January 2021. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba: January closed with 15,536 infections and 70 deaths from COVID-19, the worst figures during pandemic

Yesterday the SARS-CoV-2 virus left 906 new infections in Cuba, less than on Saturday, but closed the month with the highest total figures: 15,536 patients and 70 deaths, according to information issued by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). On the last day two new deaths were reported, with which the death toll now stands at 216. This time it is two Habaneros, 68 and 72 years old, with diseases that complicated their evolution, according to the report. Havana continues to be the province with the greatest complexity, ratified with its 442 new positive cases yesterday. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1356256469621071875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1356256469621071875%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-enero-cerro-con-15-536-contagios-y-70-fallecidos-por-la-covid-19-las-peores-cifras-en-pandemia%2F “Dispersion is important,” said Dr. Francisco Durán, who added that although the disease is present throughout the island, the risk is still very high in certain places, such as the capital. In fact, nine Havana municipalities, together with one from Guantánamo, another from Pinar del Río and Santiago de Cuba, have contributed the largest number of cases in the last fifteen days. Santiago de Cuba itself identified 144 infections on Sunday, the majority in the main municipality. For their part, the Guantánamo specialists reported 64 cases, followed by the provinces with the highest numbers: Pinar del Río (56) and Villa Clara (52); although,...

Arrival from Cancun of a flight of the Mexican airline Viva Aerobus, at the Abel Santamaría International Airport, in Santa Clara, Cuba, in November 2020. Photo: Abel Santamaría International Airport/Facebook/Archive.

Cuba further restricts flights and will once again isolate international travelers

The Cuban government announced this Saturday new restrictions on commercial flights due to the complex epidemiological situation the island is facing due to the current outbreak of COVID-19. In addition, it announced that international travelers will once again be isolated, a measure it already had applied in previous moments of the pandemic. The restrictions will come into effect next February 6 and will apply to flights from the United States, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Jamaica, nations from which, according to Cuban authorities, the largest number of travelers arrive in the country. Previously, cuts had already been made to air operations from some of these countries, but given the sustained increase in cases—for which the authorities blame mainly the non-compliance with the protocols established for international travelers—Mercedes Vázquez, director of air transportation and international relations of the Institute of Civil Aeronautics of Cuba (IACC), explained that it was essential to take new measures and reduce more flight frequencies. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/cuba-starts-year-with-reduction-of-international-flights-due-to-covid-19/ During the daily press conference on the island’s health situation, the official explained that the U.S. companies Jetblue and American Airlines, the Mexican Viva Aerobus and the charter flights managed by the Cuban state agency Havanatour will maintain a...

Egido Street, or Bélgica Avenue, in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

On penultimate day of January, Cuba exceeds a thousand daily cases of COVID-19

The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reported 1,012 new infections by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in one day; Saturday, the penultimate day of January, a terrible month for Cubans during the pandemic due to the 14,630 infected and 68 deaths. Havana registered the highest number of cases (458), in correspondence with the number of tests performed: 7,681 of the 18,044 processed in the 19 laboratories on the island. It is followed by Guantánamo (206), Santiago de Cuba (125) and Ciego de Ávila (64), although all provinces reported COVID-19 patients, even the Isla de la Juventud Special Municipality registered two. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1355895100413538304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1355895100413538304%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fen-el-penultimo-dia-de-enero-cuba-supera-los-mil-casos-diarios-de-covid-19%2F Such provincial records correspond to incidence rates. The most worrying is that of Guantánamo, Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The data is illustrative, since 12 municipalities of these three provinces account for 51.1% of the incidence in the last 15 days. The total number of hospitalized patients reached 12,570 as of midnight on January 30, and the number of active cases also rose to 5,558, a figure that represents 20.8% of those confirmed since March, the month in which the first cases of the new coronavirus were reported on the island. Another record on the rise was that of patients...

People on the street, during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Havana, in January 2021. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba reports three deaths from COVID-19 and approaches 1,000 daily infections

The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reported three deaths from COVID-19 and 910 new cases at the end of this Friday, a new record of daily infections on the island. In this way, the number of patients detected in the country since the start of the pandemic was more than 25,000 (25,674), while the death toll already stands at 213. In addition, active cases rose to 5,100, another negative mark that is not higher today thanks to yesterday’s 697 discharges. As an incentive, recovered cases amount to more than 20,000 (20,310) since last March. At this time, 11,684 people are hospitalized in Cuba for reasons related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Of these, 4,080 are suspects and 20,504 are under surveillance, while of the 5,100 confirmed, 5,055 have a stable clinical evolution and 45 are in ICUs: 21 in critical condition and 24 in serious condition. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1355532328647487488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1355532328647487488%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-reporta-tres-fallecidos-por-la-covid-19-y-se-acerca-a-los-mil-contagios-diarios%2F Regarding the 910 new infections, 814 were contacts of confirmed cases, 63 have their source of infection abroad and in 33 the source of infection had not been specified. In addition, 440 are female and 470 male, while 375 were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis, according to the most recent report...

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