ES / EN
OnCuba editorial staff

OnCuba Staff

In the image, clockwise: Cubans Idalmis Moreno, Juan José Valdés, Leinier Valido, Yuneisi Companioni, Melodi Valdés Companioni, Martha Batista Pérez, Natalia Valdés and Thalía Valdés, pose in a house in Moscow. Photo: EFE/Fernando Salcines.

Cubans stranded in Moscow will be able to return to island on special flight

The Cuban Consulate in Moscow reported this Sunday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, in coordination with the Azur Air carrier, has organized a special flight in which several Latin American citizens, including Cubans, stranded on Russian soil will be able to return to their countries of origin. The flight will leave from Moscow next Wednesday, June 3, with the aim of picking up and repatriating Russian citizens stranded in several Latin American countries, including Cuba. Taking advantage of the fact, and based on the coordination between the local authorities and the embassies in Moscow of the nations involved, “the possibility of returning to their countries of origin will be provided to groups of citizens of those nations who are stranded in Russia.” “On the aforementioned flight, only Cuban citizens residing in Cuba who had come to the call of the Consular Section to update their immigration status and register their request to return to the country may return to Cuba, after acquiring the air ticket,” the diplomatic mission confirmed on its Facebook account, which does not specify how many capacities will be available. https://www.facebook.com/ConsulCubaRusia/posts/543670326238170 The statement explains that the registration of requests is in the...

Yesterday Sunday, 37 patients were detected in Havana and one in Matanzas; 17 patients were discharged and 3 were reported as serious. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

COVID-19 cases rebound in Cuba: 38 infections reported today

The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reported today that, in the last 24 hours, there were no deaths from COVID-19 in Cuba; however, infections increased to 38. Of that total, 37 were detected in Havana and, according to Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology, “are related to three transmission events” already reported yesterday. They are the result of events detected in the La Época shopping center, which led to others in the AICA Laboratories and in the Ministry of Domestic Trade’s National Transportation Enterprise. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1267447081473622017 For these reasons, the distribution of infections in Havana is as follows: 14 in the municipality of La Lisa. 7 in Old Havana municipality. Playa and Marianao, 4 each. 3 in Arroyo Naranjo municipality. 2 in the municipality of Diez de Octubre. San Miguel del Padrón, Regla and Cerro, 1 each. The other contagion was reported from the provincial capital of Matanzas. All the new cases correspond to Cubans; 36 were related to detected patients and the source of infection was not specified in only two individuals. This time the number of women (24-14) exceeds that of men, and the most affected age groups were: under 40, with 19 sick individuals, followed by that...

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has left Cuba with a total of 82 dead and 2,500 infected. The number of recovered patients is 1,760. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

With today’s 22 cases, Cuba exceeds 2,000 infections from COVID-19

Another day without deaths, although 22 infections were reported in Cuba, according to this morning’s report by the authorities of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). “It is an achievement that has been consolidated,” said Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology, referring to the absence of deceased, a trend that has fluctuated slightly in recent weeks. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1266361161793994752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1266361161793994752%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcon-los-22-casos-de-hoy-cuba-sobrepasa-los-2000-contagios-por-covid-19%2F Havana (17 cases), Artemisa (4) and Matanzas (1) concentrated the 22 infections, which correspond to Cubans. Of this group, 18 were related to detected patients. The most affected age groups were those under 40, followed by the 40-60 age group; 72.7% of the positive cases were asymptomatic, according to today’s report. Twenty-six patients were discharged yesterday, and the condition of three others was serious. Until midnight May 28, 569 patients were hospitalized for epidemiological clinical surveillance and 1,815 were under primary healthcare surveillance in their homes. Both figures experienced a slight increase. https://oncubanews.com/especiales/especial-sobre-la-covid-19/ The country has processed a total of 101,108 tests. Only yesterday, 1,363 were made, said the MINSAP authorities. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has left Cuba with a total of 82 dead and 2,500 infected. The number of recovered patients is 1,760.

Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba studying strategies to restart activities after COVID-19 crisis

The Cuban government is assessing strategies for an eventual return to normality after the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the island, Prensa Latina news agency reported this Wednesday. Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero insisted on reinforcing security measures to prevent future events of local transmission of the disease, the source added. “That will make it easier for us when the recovery begins; the rest of the activities, and investments, will be made following the successful protocols to date,” Marrero said this Tuesday during the daily meeting of the island’s executive to discuss the situation of the coronavirus epidemic on the island. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/cuba-prepara-plan-sanitario-para-vuelta-a-la-normalidad/ The prime minister highlighted the work of the institutions belonging to the Ministries of Industry and of Construction to “maintain the vitality of services” without reporting major sources of contagion. During the meeting, led by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the top Cuban leaders recognized the decreasing trend of COVID-19 cases in the country. Minister of Public Health José Ángel Portal explained that the number of patients in hospitals and isolation centers has maintained its downward trend since April 22, when the maximum peak of hospitalized people in Cuba was recorded. At that time there were...

The dean of the Faculty of Mathematics of the University of Havana, Raúl Guinovart, shows the models for an endemic phase of COVID-19 in Cuba. Photo: cubadebate.cu

Scientists say COVID-19 will be endemic in Cuba; a fresh outbreak of the disease is expected in November

Mathematical models developed by a group of Cuban scientists predict that COVID-19 could become endemic on the island as of May 30, while Havana, epicenter of the epidemic in Cuba, will continue to report active cases until July 10. If the COVID-19 becomes endemic in Cuba, the first fresh outbreak of the disease should occur in mid-November, the dean of the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Havana, Raúl Guinovart, told Cubadebate this Wednesday. Endemic point model of COVID-19 in Cuba. Infographic: cubadebate.cu. *Caption:  Reproductive number Ro=1.4 Amount of active persons Amount of susceptible persons “The graph shows us that at the beginning of the disease the curve grew between susceptible and sick persons; then the number of infected people decreases to almost zero, as happens now when we are managing to control the disease; but then there will be a fresh outbreak with a more discreet peak because there remains a very large susceptible population,” the professor explained. “Later the curve decreases again and then it would continue to infinity, unless current conditions change (everyone gets a vaccine or a vaccine emerges). The ideal in this graph is to have this point closer to zero in order to...

Health authorities yesterday reported more discharges than hospitalizations. The death toll remains at 82 and the number of infections amounts to 1,983. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Curve continues going down: nine COVID-19 positive cases and no deaths in Cuba yesterday

Cuba had 9 infections and yesterday did not report deaths due to the pandemic, as reported this morning by the authorities of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), with which the death toll remains at 82 and the infections amount to 1,983. Ten patients were discharged and, therefore, according to Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology, there are more discharges than hospitalizations. A patient was reported in serious condition. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1265992293531684867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1265992293531684867%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcontinua-bajando-la-curva-nueve-casos-positivos-a-la-covid-19-y-ninguna-muerte-en-cuba-durante-la-jornada-de-ayer%2F The total of confirmed cases corresponds to Cubans; of these, 8 had contacts with confirmed cases. This time the number of infected men is greater (5-4) than that of women, and the most affected age groups are concentrated between 40 and 60 years, with seven cases, followed by those under 40, with two. Four of yesterday’s positive cases were asymptomatic. https://oncubanews.com/especiales/especial-sobre-la-covid-19/ Until yesterday at midnight, 555 patients were hospitalized for epidemiological clinical surveillance and 1,684 were under primary healthcare surveillance in their homes. The country has processed a total of 99,745 tests, for a 2.0% positivity.

A couple by an electric motorcycle purchased at El Tángana gas station, in Havana, on October 28, 2019. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba: non-residents can create accounts to buy in dollar stores

The Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) issued a resolution that allows the island’s non-residents to open bank accounts in U.S. dollars, to buy in stores created by the government since last October that sell products in this currency. Sources from the legal section of the BCC explained to OnCuba by telephone that Resolution 73/2020, published days ago in the Cuban Gaceta Oficial, eliminates the condition of the person’s permanent residence, both for making such purchases and for importing products through entities authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment. This is the novelty, according to BCC sources, with respect to a previous resolution of October 2019, which allowed the creation of these dollar accounts only for permanent residents on the island and which was repealed by the new regulations. The drafting of the new resolution, reported this Tuesday by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency, has created confusion as to whether, as of now, it will be possible to pay using the debit cards for these dollar accounts in any establishment of the chains of stores in currencies that operate on the island. In its first Therefore, the regulation provides for the use of U.S. dollars in retail...

The country has processed a total of 98,381 tests, of which 1,974 have been positive, MINSAP reported today. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba without deaths from coronavirus today, and reports 11 new infections

There were no deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in Cuba and 11 people were diagnosed as positive; nine in Havana, one in Artemisa and another in Ciego de Ávila, as reported this morning by the authorities of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). Four of the infections reported in the capital were related to the local transmission event that occurred in the well-known La Época shopping center, although the infections are limited to the municipalities of Cotorro, Cerro, Habana del Este, Playa and Old Havana. The case reported in Artemisa is also related to the La Época event. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/evento-de-transmision-de-covid-19-en-tienda-la-epoca-acumula-16-enfermos/ The eleven new infections correspond to Cubans, 10 of them were in contact with detected patients and seven are women. The most affected age groups were those between 40 and 60 years, with five cases, followed by those under 40, with four. Eight of these new patients were asymptomatic at the time of their diagnosis, a number that is increasing day by day in Cuba as in the world, said Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1265631989023080448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1265631989023080448%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-sin-fallecidos-por-coronavirus-hoy-y-reporta-11-nuevos-contagios%2F At the close of yesterday, 467 people were hospitalized for epidemiological clinical surveillance and 1,627 were under primary healthcare surveillance...

Photo: Shutterstock.

U.S. bans travel from Brazil

President Donald Trump extended travel restrictions from the countries most affected by the coronavirus by rejecting this Sunday the entry of foreigners coming from Brazil, which has the second largest number of confirmed cases of the disease, only behind the United States. Trump had already restricted certain travelers from China, Britain, Ireland and other countries in Europe and, to a lesser degree, from Iran. He hasn’t enforced travel bans from Russia, with the third highest number of infections on the planet. Last week the president said that he was considering limiting travel from Brazil. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said this Sunday’s measure is another of Trump’s decisive moves to protect the country. The president’s management in the face of the pandemic has been widely criticized. The United States has the highest number of infections worldwide with more than 1.6 million confirmed cases. The death toll is expected to soon exceed 100,000, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. Brazil, the most affected country in Latin America, is second worldwide with more than 347,000 cases and more than 22,000 deaths. Third on the list is Russia, with more than 344,000 reported infections and at least 3,500 deaths. https://youtu.be/8jQkrPW6HKI...

So far the effects of the pandemic on the island have resulted in 82 deaths and 1,963 infections. The number of recovered patients is 1,709. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Of the 16 coronavirus positive cases reported today, 13 are from Havana

There was no death yesterday in Cuba and the number of reported infections was 16, most of them concentrated in Havana, according to the information offered today by Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). Thirteen of the positive cases are from the capital, where the most affected municipalities were Centro Habana, Arroyo Naranjo, Diez de Octubre and Habana del Este. Matanzas, meanwhile, reported 3 patients, all in the provincial capital. With this new registration, infections in the capital amount to 955. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1265269037795282944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1265269037795282944%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fde-los-16-casos-positivos-al-coronavirus-reportados-hoy-13-son-de-la-habana%2F All the patients identified this time are Cuban, and 93% of them were related to confirmed cases. The number of women was higher than that of men (11-5) and the most affected age groups were between 40-59 years, with seven cases, followed by 20-39 years, with five. Fourteen of yesterday’s the SARS-CoV-2 virus positive cases were asymptomatic. So far the effects of the pandemic on the island have resulted in 82 deaths and 1,963 infections. The number of recovered patients is 1,709. https://oncubanews.com/especiales/especial-sobre-la-covid-19/ As of midnight on May 25, 434 patients were hospitalized for epidemiological clinical surveillance and 1,823 people were under primary healthcare surveillance in their homes.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, WHO director. Photo: Politico.

WHO decides to temporarily suspend hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients

The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed this Monday that the steering committee of the “Solidarity Trial,” which is seeking treatments for COVID-19, decided to temporarily suspend clinical trials with hydroxychloroquine. According to the WHO, an observational scientific study published this Friday by The Lancet on the effects of these drugs in hospitalized patients who took it shows that they had a higher mortality rate, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, director of the WHO. Gebreyesus also stated that a steering committee, representing ten of the countries participating in the trial, agreed to make a comprehensive analysis and critical evaluation of all available global evidence on the use of hydroxychloroquine. The review will consider the data collected to date, particularly random data, in order to adequately assess that drug’s potential benefits and harms. Although a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm has been implemented within the global clinical trial, the other planned drugs will continue to be tested. The WHO director said that the Solidarity Trial had started more than two months ago to evaluate the safety and efficacy of four drugs and drug combinations against COVID-19, and added that more than 400 hospitals in 35 countries are recruiting patients and there...

Members of the Cuban medical brigade in Andorra. Photo: @Gustavo Machín/Facebook.

Part of Cuban medical brigade in Andorra will return home

Part of the Cuban medical brigade that collaborated in the struggle against COVID-19 in Andorra, will return to the island in the coming days, according to press reports of the European principality. The Andorran government carried out a farewell ceremony this Sunday for the 13 Cuban health professionals who are returning to their country in the coming days, according to the Diario de Andorra, which specifies that on May 15 three collaborators from the island had already left. The official farewell was attended by authorities from the principality―among them the ministers of health and foreign affairs―and the Cuban Consul General in Barcelona, ​​Alain González, and took place at the Panorama Hotel in the parish of Escaldes-Engordany, where Cubans were accommodated during their stay in Andorra. Before, the Cuban health workers toured “the most iconic and emblematic places in the Principality,” the publication reported, citing among the visited places the Casa del Valle, the surroundings of the Canillo church, the Sanctuary of Meritxell and the Grau Roig area. The tour “continued to comply with adequate safety and hygiene measures to prevent any risk of contagion by coronavirus,” noted the Diario de Andorra. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/cuban-doctors-are-bid-farewell-with-lombardys-applause/ The Cuban brigade that traveled to the European...

President Jair Bolsonaro touching his facemask during a protest against the Federal Supreme Court and the National Congress in Brasilia. Photo: André Borges/AP.

Coronavirus: no new cases reported in China, but increasing in Latin America

New coronavirus cases dropped to zero in China for the first time this Saturday, but they increased in India. In Latin America, hospitals were overwhelmed by the amount of patients, both in countries lax with respect to quarantines and in those that have been praised for adopting firm measures of social distancing. Many governments are easing restrictions as they face historic recessions caused by the pandemic. Its persistence has placed the authorities in the dilemma of finding a balance between the urgency to revive the economy and the fear of health risks. China did not report any contagion this Saturday for the first time since the start of the pandemic, which emerged there late last year. Mariachis protect themselves with facemasks in Plaza Garibaldi, in Mexico City. Photo: Eduardo Verdugo/AP. In South Korea, there were 23 new cases, mostly in the densely populated metropolitan area of ​​the capital Seoul, where authorities closed thousands of nightclubs, bars, and karaoke rooms to curb transmissions. In early March, South Korea reported around 500 new cases daily until it began to use an aggressive tracking and testing policy to stabilize the outbreak. More than 200 of the latest infections were linked to people who...

Yesterday, the number of hospitalized patients dropped to 445, but five people were reported in serious condition. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez

Cuba reports 6 new positive cases and no deaths from coronavirus in the last 24 hours

The update offered by the health authorities on the effect of the coronavirus on the Cuban population today reported 6 new positive cases and no deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 82, while the total number of infections is already 1,947. Five of the new infections were detected in Havana, in the municipalities of Diez de Octubre, Cerro, Old Havana and Centro Habana; one occurred in Ciego de Ávila, in the municipality of Morón. They are all Cubans and five were related to confirmed cases. The source of infection was not specified in one individual. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1264906040669241345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1264906040669241345%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-reporta-6-nuevos-casos-positivos-y-ningun-fallecido-por-coronavirus-en-las-ultimas-24-horas%2F Of the six new cases, there were equal numbers of men and women. The most affected age group is concentrated between 40 and 60 years, with four cases, followed by the under 40 age group, with two. Five people in this group were asymptomatic. At the close of yesterday, May 24, 1,996 people were under primary healthcare surveillance in their homes. The country has processed a total of 95,511 tests, of which 1,947 have been positive. Only yesterday, 1,451 were made, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) authorities.

The coronavirus outbreak in a Santa Clara home for the elderly left a balance of 66 patients, three of whom died. Photo: cmhw.cu

All COVID-19 patients from Santa Clara Home for the Elderly discharged

This Friday the last cured COVID-19 patient was discharged, of those linked to the coronavirus local transmission event that occurred in the Home for the Elderly No. 3, Santa Clara, in the Cuban province of Villa Clara. The coronavirus outbreak in that home was the largest transmission event recorded in Cuba so far, and left a balance of 19 workers and 47 elderly people who were infected, three of whom died, the official Granma newspaper reported. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/covid-19-outbreak-reported-in-santa-clara-nursing-home/ According to the director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology, Neil Reyes, right now another 82 elderly people belonging to the center remain under “strict care” at the Marta Abreu Special School for Children with Physical-Motor Limitations, provisionally fitted out to host a part of them. Meanwhile, another 29 are kept under surveillance at the Rolando Pérez Quintosa Special School. The fact that only three of the patients that caused the contagious outbreak in the center have died shows the “colossal effort” of the Cuban health system to save COVID-19 patients, taking into account that this disease attacks the elderly with greater force, said Dr. Reyes. He also stressed that all of the workers affected by the disease are already...

Photo: Flickr.

Cuba: stem cells used in people convalescing from new coronavirus

The National Institute of Hematology and Immunology started a clinical trial to use stem cells in people convalescing from the new coronavirus. According to Dr. Consuelo Macías Abraham, director of that institution, it is about the use of adult stem cells in COVID-19 patients who have lung lesions. “We have been able to include in the study patients classified as seriously and critically ill while hospitalized who had acute respiratory symptoms. It has been possible to appreciate in them the permanence of inflammatory or fibrotic lesions, after effects of the infection by the new coronavirus, detected by means of high-resolution Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT),” she said. Photo: FB. She specified that the aim is to eliminate or reduce post-infection pulmonary interstitial or fibrotic inflammatory lesions, preventing the progression of the disease and improving the person’s quality of life. This treatment will benefit all critically and seriously ill patients with proven lung lesions. “We have already treated patients from Havana and patients from other provinces are being recruited.” Lastly, she said that “the trial marks the beginning of the care of the recovered patient in the national health system, including the primary level, with a comprehensive first-level study and the possibility...

People on the streets of Havana during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba: 15 new infections and no deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours

The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reported 15 new COVID-19 patients in the last 24 hours, in which there were no deaths due to the disease, according to Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology. With the new positive cases, the number of infections on the island totaled 1,931, of which 177 remain hospitalized, Dr. Durán said at the daily press conference on the pandemic in Cuba. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1264185656156266497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1264185656156266497%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-15-nuevos-contagios-y-ningun-fallecido-por-covid-19-durante-las-ultimas-24-horas%2F Of the 15 patients diagnosed with the coronavirus this Friday, nine were women (60%) and six (40%) men. In Havana, 13 new cases were confirmed, five of them from the Centro Habana municipality. The other two are from Matanzas and Ciego de Ávila, the latter linked to the local transmission event registered in the town of Turiguanó, in the municipality of Morón. Two children were confirmed: one 7 years old and the other 16, although the most affected age group was 40 to 60 years, with eight cases (53.3%); 60% (9) of the positive cases were asymptomatic, according to official figures. After 40 new medical discharges in the last 24 hours, in Cuba the number of patients recovered from the disease reached 1,671. At the close of Friday, 631 patients hospitalized...

ETECSA officials explained that there was no “wrong pricing” in the consumption of the most recent recharge’s data voucher. Photo: @ETECSA_Cuba/Twitter.

ETECSA: no “wrong pricing” in consumption of data voucher

In the face of the increase in customer complaints indicating the rapid consumption of the one giga voucher of the most recent international recharge promoted by Cuba’s Telecommunications Enterprise S.A. (ETECSA), the entity’s officials explained this Wednesday that there was no anomaly nor was there a “wrong pricing.” The state enterprise’s director of operation and maintenance, Kevin Castro, justified what had happened, affirming that many people “have confused this recharge voucher with the LTE voucher, which is applied to some of the data packages that ETECSA offers today,” Cubadebate reported. He explained that users compared the one giga voucher with that of the data package that includes the purchase of one giga―for 10 Cuban convertible pesos (CUC)―and is rewarded with an additional voucher of equal value to consume on the LTE network, plus the 300 megabytes available for national navigation, which as a whole gives a value of 2.3 gigabytes. The enterprise, which has a monopoly over telecommunications in Cuba, for the first time added in its international recharges a one-giga-data voucher for internet connection through mobile devices. However, its rapid consumption by many customers generated suspicions and criticism on social networks. Castro clarified that the offered voucher now consumes...

Havana and Matanzas, provinces that once again are the only ones to report new cases of COVID-19. MINSAP reported today one death and eight infections. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Coronavirus in Cuba to date: 81 deaths and 1916 infections

The data updated today by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) on COVID-19 in Cuba are as follows: one death, eight new infections, 28 discharges, one person in critical condition and 2 in serious condition. The death was reported in Matanzas and corresponds to a 55-year-old man who was in critical condition since yesterday. His evolution is explained by the MINSAP authorities in today’s medical report. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1263822605376724993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1263822605376724993%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcoronavirus-en-cuba-hasta-la-fecha-81-muertes-y-1916-contagios%2F The eight new infections are Cuban, all were related to detected patients and of that total, five are men. The most affected age group was 40 to 60 years, with six patients. Four individuals were asymptomatic. The only provinces to report cases of new coronavirus infections today were Havana, with five, and Matanzas, with three. By midnight May 21, the number of people hospitalized for clinical epidemiological care had dropped again, now to 669; meanwhile, 1,790 were under primary healthcare surveillance in their homes. https://oncubanews.com/especiales/especial-sobre-la-covid-19/ The country has processed 90,911 tests, of which 1,916 have been positive.

Photo: Pedro Chavedar/Archive.

Cuba stopped producing some 7,000 tons of pork in first quarter of year

In the first quarter of this year, some 7,000 tons of pork, one of the foods most in demand by Cubans, were not produced in Cuba, according to executives from the island’s agricultural sector. Regla Ferrer, national director for pork production of the Livestock Higher Organization of Business Management (OSDE), belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the monthly production volumes of this product remain above 9,000, “a figure much lower than the more than 12,000 tons required,” the official daily Granma reported. Ferrer explained that the production of pork has been depressed “due to the low availability of animal feed accessible to producers, a phenomenon that affects the meat mass stipulated for each specimen before its marketing.” He also said that liquid feed, “one of the promising alternatives being undertaken,” could not continue being used in animal feed due to the paralysis of tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “because this sector provided the grosss of organic raw material for the elaboration of said feed.” This is why a breach of the previewed plan for the year is already foreseen, which had been 170,000 tons. As a palliative, she commented, “emphasis has been placed on the sowing of...

Chinese ambassador in Havana Chen Xi (2-right), Cuban Deputy Minister of Public Health Luis Fernando Navarro (right), Cuban First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Ana Teresita González (2-left), show the masks during a ceremony for the donation of medical supplies from China. Photo: Xinhua/Joaquín Hernández.

Another Chinese donation of medical supplies for Cuba

The government of the People’s Republic of China, the Yutong bus company and the Red Cross handed over to the Cuban health authorities another donation comprising medical supplies to cope with the new coronavirus. The donation includes 4,000 diagnostic tests donated by the Chinese Embassy in Havana and 100,000 dollars sent to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) by the Chinese Red Cross, in addition to three million face masks, 100,000 surgical gloves, 10,000 protective suits and an equal number of protective glasses delivered by the Yutong Company. According to the Xinhua press agency, the ceremony to hand over the donation took place in one of the MINSAP warehouses, during which the Chinese ambassador in Havana, Chen Xi, recalled that “Cuba has been able to effectively confront and control the spread of the pandemic, confirmed cases tend to decline markedly and recovered cases increase consecutively.” For her part, Cuban First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Ana Teresita González said in her official account on Twitter that the donation constitutes one more example of solidarity and brotherhood between both countries, on the 60th anniversary of the establishment diplomatic relations. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/cuba-recibe-decenas-de-miles-de-mascarillas-donadas-por-china/ Ambassador Chen and Deputy Minister González signed the minutes...

Yesterday there were 30 medical discharges, one patient in critical condition and 4 in serious condition. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Cuba reports one deceased from COVID-19, after a week without deaths

One death and 8 infections from COVID-19 were reported today by the health authorities in Cuba, data that brings the numbers of deaths to 80 and infections on the island to 1,908 due to the pandemic. The only victim yesterday was related to the outbreak that occurred at the Cotorro Social Protection Center that, weeks ago, shot up the rates of infection in Havana. This is a 78-year-old wandering man, with a previous medical history and “severe malnutrition,” according to Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology. https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/transmission-event-in-social-center-triggers-covid-19-cases-in-havana/ The infections occurred in Havana (6) and Matanzas (2), all correspond to Cubans; seven of them were related to detected patients and the source of infection is not specified in one individual. In this group there were equal numbers of men and women; and by age groups, four are between 40 and 59 years old and two between 20 and 39 years old. The new figures include the case of a six-month-old baby girl residing in Matanzas. At midnight on May 20, the number of people hospitalized for clinical epidemiological care had dropped to 689, while those under primary healthcare surveillance at home totaled 1,697. https://twitter.com/MINSAPCuba/status/1263457682910072832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1263457682910072832%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fcuba-reporta-el-fallecimiento-de-una-persona-por-covid-19-tras-una-semana-sin-muertes%2F According to MINSAP, the country has...

Page 61 of 107 1 60 61 62 107