• Cuba reports 932 new Coviud-19 cases, 11 deaths • April, the month with most COVID-19 deaths and infections in Cuba • Cuba heads firmly towards COVID-19 immunization •

Cuba reports 932 new Coviud-19 cases, 11 deaths

Havana, Cuba.- Cuba confirmed 932 new cases of Covid-19 and 11 deaths at the end of Sunday, said Dr. Francisco Durán García, national director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), at a TV briefing on Monday.

There are 5, 638 are confirmed cases admitted to hospitals.

The island’s statistics remained unfavorable, and Havana the epicenter with 539 of the 932 new cases Sunday.

The total number of deaths due to Covid-19 is 675 and the number of people infected since March 2020 has risen to 109,625, said Durán.

April, the month with most COVID-19 deaths and infections in Cuba

Between January and April, far from decreasing, the monthly figures of positive COVID-19 cases and patients who died of covid-19 in Cuba increased.

Dr. Francisco Durán García, national director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), reported that in the fourth month of the year, 31,346 infections were recorded, some 5,660 more than in March. There was an average of 1,044 cases per day, and in most of the days, there were more than 1,000 cases reported.

In April, the number of deaths associated with the virus increased significantly, with 229. This figure doubled the previous record, recorded in February when 108 deaths occurred.

Also, in April, 4,449 children and teenagers aged 18 and under were treated for SARS-COV-2, with an average of 148 cases per day.

These figures underscore the extraordinary importance of strict compliance with biosecurity and social distancing measures.

Cuba heads firmly towards COVID-19 immunization

The First Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, commended the closing of the application of the third and last dose of the Abdala vaccine candidate, as part of phase III of the clinical trial carried out in Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Bayamo.

"Our vaccine candidate Abdala is approaching the goal. 48,290 volunteers received the three doses, with very few adverse effects. We are going with firm steps towards the country's total immunization, " the Head of State said on Twitter.

Referring to the efficacy of the product, Dr. Verena Muzio, Director of Clinical Research at the Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, in charge of the design of the vaccine candidate, informed that the evaluation of this variable, begins on Monday, with the follow-up of all the volunteers to detect any infection with the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus.

Regarding the publication of the results of the efficacy of the vaccine candidate, she clarified that this does not have a fixed time because it depends on the speed with which the cases appear in the period after the administration of the third dose.

The expert noted that researchers are in the final stages of designing clinical trials for 18 years and younger, which must be submitted for evaluation and authorization by the Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment, and Medical Devices (Cecmed), to start them in the not too distant future.

The Abdala vaccine candidate production is in charge of Havana-based AICA Laboratories.

With information by Radio Havana Cuba (RHC)