by Yosley Carrero

HAVANA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Monday set a new COVID-19 daily case record of 316 infections as thousands of students and workers returned to their schools and workplaces after Christmas break.

The new record surpassed by 87 the previous daily high set on Dec. 28. It came amid a surge in COVID-19 cases after Havana's Jose Marti International Airport resumed commercial flights on Nov. 15.

Among the new cases, 172 had contact with infected patients, 127 contracted the virus overseas, while the source of infection for the remaining 17 is unknown, said a press release published on the Cuban Ministry of Public Health's website.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called for more medical resources in intensive care units, stressing the island is one of Latin American and Caribbean countries with the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates.

"If we do it right, we will be able to reduce the number of active cases in January, breaking current levels of COVID-19 transmission and coming back to the ones we had before," said Diaz-Canel during a governmental meeting.

Havana, the epicenter of the epidemic on the island, has registered the majority of confirmed cases over the past few weeks, followed by the provinces of Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba, and Villa Clara.

While on Monday the death toll remained unchanged at 147, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cuba stood at 12,740.

According to the health authorities in Cuba, 1,738 patients are currently treated at hospitals, 20 of whom are in intensive care units.

Until now, schools, restaurants, cultural venues, and sports centers remain open to the public, and seaside resorts continue receiving local and international tourists.

International passengers are requested to have negative COVID-19 result and subject to PCR tests on the first and fifth day of their stay on the island.

The country also reduced flights from the United States, Mexico, Panama, the Bahamas, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

Universities across the country are ready to start the 2021 school year by early February, with social distancing rules in place.

"We should follow COVID-19 protocols to prevent lockdowns from being reimposed," said Fernando Suarez, a private sector employee from Havana's Vibora district, adding that "curfews and lockdowns are not good for the country's economy amid a monetary overhaul."

Precautionary measures adopted by the government to minimize contagion are on the right track, Havana resident Maria Antonia Martinez told Xinhua.

"I support all that could be done to combat the spread of the pandemic in Cuba and elsewhere," said the 70-year-old. "As more people get vaccinated around the world, more people will see the light at the end of the tunnel." Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)