After having approved phase 2 of clinical trials of its second vaccine candidate to prevent COVID-19, called Soberana 02, Cuba began vaccinating volunteers, Havana’s Finlay Institute reported this Tuesday. “This week the vaccination process of the Phase II Clinical Trial of vaccine #Soberana02 began. Everything has gone normally and complying with good practices,” the scientific center dedicated to research and vaccine production reported on Twitter. https://twitter.com/FinlayInstituto/status/1341466351437799425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1341466351437799425%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-inicia-segunda-fase-de-ensayos-clinicos-de-su-candidato-vacunal-soberana-02%2F In this Cuban vaccine candidate, the virus antigen and tetanus toxoid are combined, as the director general of the Finlay Vaccine Institute, Vicente Vérez, recently explained. Phase 2 should involve about a hundred people, which will increase to between 300 and 600 in a phase II-B. Phase 3―more complex to develop on the island due to the low incidence of the disease―should include an even greater number of volunteers. Vérez described this future conjugate vaccine as “innovative” because, he assured, its formulation is unprecedented among all those currently being developed in the world to face SARS-CoV-2. On December 17, after preliminary positive results of phase I, “Soberana 02" received authorization from the island’s Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices to advance to phase II of clinical trials, which is why...

Cuba exceeded 1,000 active COVID-19 cases for the first time this year, after registering at the end of this Monday its maximum number of contagions with the disease in 24 hours (142), according to figures released by the Ministry of Health Island Public (MINSAP). In its most recent report on the impact of the coronavirus, the MINSAP reported two deaths from the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, with which the total number of deaths from the pandemic in Cuba now rises to 139. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1341446490586288129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1341446490586288129%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-sobrepasa-los-1-000-casos-activos-de-covid-19-tras-registrar-nuevo-record-diario-de-contagios%2F According to the source, at the end of this Monday 3,262 patients were hospitalized, of them 786 suspects, 1,455 under epidemiological surveillance and 1,021 confirmed with the contagious disease. This Monday, 12,568 real-time PCR tests were carried out, and the Island has already processed a total of 1,356,561 samples to detect COVID-19 since March to date. Of the patients diagnosed on the day, 72 were contacts of confirmed cases, 64 arrived in Cuba already infected and in six the source of infection is not known; 66.1% (94) of them did not present symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Two patients in critical condition and five in serious condition are being treated in Cuban intensive care units, while...

The question that gives the title to this note has been worrying Cubans inside and outside the island for months, and that doubt has been reactivated after the announcement of the monetary reorganization in the country as of January 1. In theory, the answer is yes, both now and once the reorganization begins, but in practice, at least for the moment, the reality is different, while on the streets the price of the USD is increasing. A recent report published on Radio Habana Cuba said that exchange houses in Cuba don’t have dollars to sell, and at the moment they only market that currency to travelers leaving the island, according to Joaquín Alonso, president of the official entity known as CADECA, which has a network of 172 offices throughout the country, including airports and tourist destinations. “Today we do not sell foreign currency in any exchange office in the cities, only in the airports and only to passengers who leave the country, with a maximum limit of 300 CUC (Cuban convertible pesos, which will stop circulating with the monetary reorganization), because there´s no more availability at the moment,” emphasized the official. Alonso confirmed that the sale of foreign currency in...

With the 115 new infections reported by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), Cuba is beginning the next to the last week of a month in which COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed, largely due to imported cases. In fact, 51 of the positive cases had the source of infection abroad, 54 were contacts of confirmed cases, while in 10 individuals the source of infection is not specified. For this diagnosis, until midnight December 20, 14,378 samples were processed, with which 1,343,993 tests have already been carried out on the island in search of the SARS-CoV-2 virus since March. Except for the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, all provinces reported infections. Havana and Artemisa, with 30 and 29 cases, respectively, are the territories in which the greatest number of patients were identified. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1341061025639088132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1341061025639088132%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-con-115-nuevos-contagios-tras-realizar-mas-de-14000-pruebas%2F Nine provinces reported autochthonous cases. Meanwhile, Pinar del Río, Cienfuegos, Ciego de Ávila, Las Tunas and Guantánamo only registered imported cases. Ten people were in intensive care until midnight yesterday: three in critical condition and seven in serious condition. There were no new deaths from the coronavirus and the death toll remains at 137. The number of recovered patients now reaches 9,126, after yesterday’s 86 discharges reported...

After processing 12,642 tests in search of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the Cuban health authorities identified 103 new infections, of which 48 were imported. Twelve provinces are involved in the report issued today by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). Havana continues to lead, with 40 cases; 19 of them had the source of infection abroad. Among the capital’s contagions is a nine-month-old girl living in the Boyeros municipality, who is kept under surveillance, according to the MINSAP. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1340699651977195525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1340699651977195525%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-procesa-mas-de-12000-pruebas-y-detecta-103-nuevos-contagios-por-coronavirus%2F Taking into account the total number of COVID-19 patients today, the provinces with the highest numbers are Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba, with nine cases each, Artemisa with eight, and Mayabeque with seven. Of the total of positive cases diagnosed this time, 68% were asymptomatic, 45 were contacts of confirmed cases and in 10 individuals the source of infection was not specified. The death toll remains at 137 since the first patients from the new coronavirus were reported on the island, on March 11. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/coronavirus-cuba-exceeds-10-thousand-cases-with-a-new-record-of-131-infections-in-one-day/ At midnight yesterday, 64 patients had been discharged. With them the number of recovered is 9,040. Meanwhile, 3,700 remained hospitalized for epidemiological surveillance : 948 were confirmed with the disease. The MINSAP reported 12 patients in intensive...

With the arrival this Friday of the inaugural flight of Hola Sun and Caribe Sol tour operators with the OWG airline, from Canada, to the Abel Santamaría International Airport, in Santa Clara, the return of international tourism to central Cuba began after the pause forced by COVID -19. A hundred travelers arrived on board the aircraft from the Canadian cities of Toronto and Montreal. Of them, 42 headed to Rancho Luna beach, in Cienfuegos, while another 95 had reservations for the tourist destination of Cayo Santa María, north of Villa Clara, according to the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency. Esther Lidia Machado, main specialist of the delegation of the Ministry of Tourism in the province of Villa Clara, explained to the agency that the Playa Cayo Santa María Hotel is reopening with this group of tourists. Check Post Here For her part, Malvis Oro, operations specialist at Havantur Centro―a Cuban travel agency ―reported that as of next Friday, two weekly OWG flights will arrive, one from Toronto and the other from Montreal, while this Sunday another flight with Canadian tourists is expected, this one with Air Canada, and another flight from Poland with Blue Panorama will arrive from...

Cuba exceeded 10,000 cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, with 131 infections reported this Saturday, a figure that marks a new record of new patients in a day for the Island. In total, the number of infected amounted to 10,024, while the number of fatalities remained at 137 as there were no deaths from COVID-19 yesterday. In addition, 64 discharges were given, with which the recovered are already 8,976. The evacuees are still two. Active cases are now 909, of which 898 present a stable clinical evolution, while 11 confirmed patients are treated in intensive therapies, three of them critical and eight serious, according to the most recent report from the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap). https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1340335144943702017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1340335144943702017%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-cuba-sobrepasa-los-10-mil-casos-con-nuevo-record-de-131-contagios-en-un-dia%2F The Ministry of Health also reports that 3,723 patients have been admitted for clinical epidemiological surveillance, 353 of them suspected, 1,889 under surveillance and 909 confirmed. Meanwhile, the 131 new cases were detected after studying 12,052 samples, an equally record figure for the Island in one day. Of these infections, 33 are contacts of confirmed cases, 61 have their source of infection abroad, and in three the source of infection had not been specified. News under construction ...

Cuba approved the second phase of clinical trials for its Soberana 02 COVID-19 vaccine candidate after registering preliminary positive results in the first phase of studies on humans, the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV) reported this Thursday. The IFV director general stated that this new phase of the study will involve a group of 100 volunteers who will receive the drug, plus another larger group―between 300 and 600 people―in which, in addition to the vaccine project, a placebo will be included, according to Granma newspaper. https://twitter.com/FinlayInstituto/status/1339611376843669517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1339611376843669517%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Faprueban-segunda-fase-de-ensayos-clinicos-en-candidato-vacunal-cubano-soberana-02%2F The third phase of the study will be more complex, due to the low incidence of COVID-19 in the country, and should include around 150,000 people, the source indicated. Soberana 02 became the first coronavirus vaccine from a Latin American country that is advancing to the second phase of clinical trials. It is an innovative drug, as it is unprecedented among all those being developed to face the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the world, said Dr. Vérez. The scientist explained that in this candidate the virus antigen and tetanus toxoid are combined. In November it was included by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the official register of COVID-19 projects in phases...

Not even because of COVID-19, or perhaps because of that, did Cubans stop attending El Rincón, the temple of one of the most popular saints in Cuba: Babalú Ayé, San Lázaro, the protector of lepers who has his throne in the Rincón National Sanctuary. EFE photojournalist Ernesto Mastracusa arrived there, and what you will see below was what his camera captured. National Sanctuary of San Lázaro in El Rincón. Cuban Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez (c), blesses a woman during her visit to the church of El Rincón. Cuban Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez (c), blesses a woman during his visit to the church of El Rincón. Health workers rest after the visit of religious people to the El Rincón Sanctuary, where tribute to San Lázaro is paid. The wake is starting Oh, what do we do to Babalú Give me seventeen candles To place them crosswise. (Song: Miguelito Valdés) *Originally published by OnCuba on December 18, 2020. 

With 142 recovered patients, the statistics seem encouraging; however, the new infections this Thursday rose to 122, a high number, the second highest after 124 were detected positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus last December 6. More than half correspond to imported cases (66 imported-56 autochthonous), the predominant scenario since last December 11, according to Dr. Francisco Durán in his appearance on Fridays from the Cuban television studios. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1339948717051396096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1339948717051396096%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-142-pacientes-de-alta-los-nuevos-contagios-se-elevan-a-122%2F “The number of imported cases has been higher than the autochthonous ones since December 11. It is a problem that has to do with the behavior of the disease in the world,” said Durán. In this regard, he stressed that the main origins of the travelers have been the United States, Mexico, Panama and Haiti. Durán also referred to the fact that 68% of the cases found out about their health after the test carried out at the airport. Except for Isla de la Juventud, all provinces are affected by the detection of imported cases this time, a record in which the provinces of Havana (27 cases), Ciego de Ávila (four) and Camagüey (four) stand out. Regarding autochthonous cases, Havana also tops the list (16 cases), followed by Matanzas (14) and Artemisa...

The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) registered 100 new positive cases for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, half of them infected abroad. According to the MINSAP daily report, at the end of this Wednesday, 3,675 patients were hospitalized, of which 862 are active cases, and 848 are suspects. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1339606160748363776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1339606160748363776%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-reporto-100-nuevos-casos-de-covid-19-al-cierre-de-este-miercoles%2F With the patients diagnosed yesterday, the island has a total of 9,771 infections since the coronavirus epidemic began, the source indicates. The figures registered on Wednesday were the result of the study of 10,864 PCR samples, with which Cuba reached 1,294,052 tests carried out to detect the virus. Of the 100 new patients, 45 were contacts of confirmed cases and the source of infection of five is unknown; 92 are Cubans and eight are foreigners. At the time of diagnosis, 77 of those infected had no symptoms of COVID-19. The Cuban capital continues to be the province most affected by the outbreak of the disease since Cuba reopened its borders. Yesterday it reported 33 positive cases (13 imported). In the list, with double digits it is followed by Matanzas, which reported 16 new coronavirus patients, Artemisa (12) and Camagüey (10), while the rest of the provinces presented lower figures....

A tour of emblematic Art Deco buildings in Havana, as well as the legacy of this trend in Cuban design from the first half of the last century, focused on the online event “Art Deco Havana: Architecture and Design,” which took place this Tuesday afternoon. Organized by the Copperbridge Foundation (CBF), the meeting, which began at 6:00 p.m., was attended by specialists Universo García (architect) and José A. Menéndez (designer), who offered a historical tour of different Art Deco architectural jewels in Havana, from the Bacardí building, the América Theater and the López-Serrano building, to small houses and other recently restored buildings of this style, which function as headquarters for private businesses (boutique hotels and restaurants). In addition, the work of Cuban Deco designer Enrique García Cabrera, a forerunner of Cuban design at the beginning of the 20th century, was discussed in a talk moderated by Rosa Lowinger, art curator and president of RLA Conservation, Inc. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba-usa/10x10-a-virtual-event-bringing-people-together-through-culture/ “I have great appreciation for Copperbridge’s work in bringing people together and fostering exchanges. As an artist, I perceive genuine sensitivity in every action in its extensive program, always trying to extend the public reach of our work. As a Cuban who lives...

Twelve provinces are involved in the diagnoses, although five of them only reported cases with a source of infection abroad.

Resolution 328 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, published last Thursday in the Gaceta Oficial Extraordinaria number 70, indicates that the fees for shows in theaters, houses of culture and other related activities will be in Cuban pesos (CUP), the only currency of legal tender that will be used in Cuba as of January 1.

Both the sending of letters, postal packages and telegrams increased their cost in high percentages, in accordance with the inflationary policy programmed by the Cuban government in the Reorganization Task.

The number of patients who were discharged yesterday after being treated for the SARS-CoV-2 virus rose to 106 in Cuba, bringing the number of 8,592 (89.2%) people who have managed to overcome the disease since March, the month in which the first cases were reported after the identification of three Italian tourists. The new infections identified, meanwhile, reached 96; 57 of them were contacts of confirmed cases, 37 had the source of infection abroad and in two individuals the source of infection is unknown. For this diagnosis 10,565 samples were processed throughout the country. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1338866017187991552 Unlike the seven provinces that reported autochthonous and imported cases, only three territories reported a type of transmission, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) report. Such is the case of Sancti Spíritus and Santiago de Cuba, with one and four autochthonous transmission infections, respectively; and Camagüey, with an imported case. The remaining provinces were Pinar del Río (12, four imported), Artemisa (13, three), Havana (28, 17), Mayabeque (16, five), Matanzas (10, four), Cienfuegos (four, two) and Villa Clara (seven, one). As of midnight December 14, 3,462 people were hospitalized for epidemiological surveillance, while 10 were in intensive care: two in critical condition and...

The Canadian airline Sunwing resumed operations to Cuba this Sunday with two flights from Toronto and Montreal arriving at Varadero’s Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport. José Batista, representative of the airline, told the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency that around 300 tourists, most of them with reservations for Gaviota hotels, arrived on the two Sunday flights, a frequency that will be maintained weekly during the current winter season. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/canadian-tourism-returns-to-varadero/ According to the source, before the global scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Varadero received 46 weekly flights in the so-called high season, and in the summer about twenty. The Sunwing executive reported that from now on excursions are also offered through Trans Gaviota to Havana, in Varadero to the new boulevard; meanwhile, the speedboat rides from the Marina, located in Punta de Hicacos, are being renewed. Sunwing moves 80 percent of Canadian vacationers to Varadero. For the two Sunday flights projected until February, as well as for any of the flights arriving on the island, there are biosafety measures, both at the air terminals and at the destination’s facilities. Juan Gualberto Gómez restarted operations last October, and so far there are no workers infected with the SARS CoV-2 virus. Since...

Cuba registered 69 new COVID-19 patients, of which 37 were imported, according to the report issued today by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). Eleven of the twelve provinces that diagnosed infections by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the last 24 hours reported imported cases, such as Havana, which registered the highest number: 32 total cases, of which 21 were imported. They are followed by: Matanzas (10 cases, two imported), Artemisa (eight cases, three imported), Villa Clara (four cases, one imported), Ciego de Ávila (four cases, one imported) and Las Tunas (two cases, one imported). Sancti Spíritus is the only province with autochthonous cases (one), while Cienfuegos (four cases), Pinar del Río (one), Mayabeque (one), Granma (one) and Guantánamo (one) only reported imported cases. Of the total, 30 were contacts of confirmed cases, in two individuals the source of infection was not specified and 55 were asymptomatic. For this diagnosis, 9,887 tests were processed throughout the country, during a day in which 50 patients were discharged. Meanwhile, eight people were in intensive care, all reported in serious condition. There were no deaths from the new coronavirus, and the number of deceased remains at 137.

Starting next January 1, confirmed this Thursday by President Miguel Díaz-Canel as “day zero” of the monetary and exchange rate reorganization on the island, Cubans will have 180 days to exchange convertible pesos (CUC) for Cuban pesos (CUP) in banks and exchange houses, according to the current rate of 1×24. This is stipulated by Resolution 177/2020 of the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC), published in the Gaceta Oficial Extraordinaria number 73, which includes six other resolutions of the country’s highest banking entity and according to which as of its entering into force “new deposits of convertible pesos are not allowed in the accounts in that currency of individuals” and “any cash withdrawal from these accounts is made in Cuban pesos.” It also explains that individuals’ accounts in CUC for savings, time deposits and certificates of deposits, are kept in that currency for a period of up to 180 days, and during that period their holders can decide if they convert their balance, totally or partially, to CUP at the exchange rate of 24 CUPx1 CUC, or they do it to USD or euros. https://twitter.com/BancoCentralCub/status/1337454862779510784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1337454862779510784%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fdia-cero-cubanos-tendran-180-dias-para-cambiar-sus-cuc%2F The regulations also specify that if the account holders do not go to the bank to...

The Cuban telecommunications enterprise (ETECSA) will establish the prices of its mobile phone services and Internet access, among other services, in national currency, as of January 1, 2021. This measure responds to the economic reorganization on the island, which includes monetary unification and the readjustment of rates and services of Cuban state enterprises. The rates for mobile telephony, calls, messages, mobile data packages, friends plan, balance transfer, navigation through Nauta Hogar home internet service, among other variants, maintain the same prices established in CUC, now in national currency. The cost of mobile phone calls remains at 8.75 pesos, while the messaging service (SMS) will cost 2.50 pesos in national currency, equal to the previous cost in CUC. The announcement of the new rates was published by the enterprise on its official Telegram account, according to the weekly Tribuna de La Habana . https://twitter.com/ETECSA_Cuba/status/1337941946187313152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1337941946187313152%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Farticulos-revista%2Fetecsa-establece-nueva-tarifas-de-servicios-de-telefonia-movil%2F The announcement was one of the most anticipated by Cubans, after different enterprises published the readjustment of the prices of the different basic services for the population, including electricity, water and manufactured gas. In this way, ETECSA maintains the prices of its services unchanged, still among the most expensive in the country, amid the economic reorganization that...

Of the total, 56 patients were asymptomatic and 40 had a source of infection abroad.

The donation was organized privately by a group of Cuban-Americans who favor the improvement of relations between both countries, and consisted of sanitary supplies and biosafety materials such as suits, face shields and masks, for use in the fight against COVID- 19.

The Ministry of Public Health reported 87 new cases of coronavirus this Saturday, 48 of them with a source of infection abroad. The authorities also confirmed the death of one person and 81 discharges.

The wage scale is divided into 32 complexity groups, determined by the number of hours worked and the category of who performs them.

In an unusually fast message to the nation, after the prime-time national TV newscast, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced the start of the ordering process, a category that refers to the long-delayed process of monetary and exchange unification. With Raúl Castro by his side, the president said that this process would take place based on the fundamental concepts previously outlined in the last two congresses of the Communist Party. And he added: “In the conceptualization of the Cuban economic and social development model of the socialist model, in its chapter I, the redesign of the monetary, exchange, tax, price, wage and citizens’ higher income system, among other aspects, is established.”  He also referred to the Guidelines, specifically number 40, which establishes “to conclude the process of monetary and exchange unification as a decisive process in the monetary ordering of the country.” These steps will begin on January 1 with the exit from circulation of the convertible peso (CUC), leaving the Cuban peso (CUP) as the country’s only official currency, with a single official exchange rate of 24 pesos per dollar. “We reiterate the transcendence and importance of this task, which will put the country in better conditions to carry out...