by Yosley Carrero

HAVANA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban government continues reinforcing the COVID-19 pandemic response amid the sharpest rise in cases, deaths and hospitalizations since the disease first appeared in the country in March 2020.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said many people infected with COVID-19 remained hospitalized at home due to the shortage of beds in medical centers during the third wave of coronavirus.

"Now, we have to implement domiciliary hospitalization in the wake of insufficient capacities in a group of Cuban provinces," Diaz-Canel said during a televised address on Sunday. "We have had to urge Cuban families to have a more direct and responsible participation."

On Sunday, Cuba registered 6,923 new infections and 47 more deaths, bringing the national counts to 238,491 cases and 1,537 deaths.

Of all new cases, 3,330 were reported in Matanzas, the new epicenter on the island, followed by the country's capital of Havana and the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba.

The surge comes as the U.S. administration has tightened the six-decade coercive measures against the island, hindering Cuba's access to medical supplies and medicines during the health emergency.

Consequently, local authorities have strengthened lockdown measures, including restrictions on people's movement during night hours, suspension of public transport, and closure of cultural and sports centers.

Starting on July 15, Cuban nationals arriving at Varadero and Cayo Coco international airports will be quarantined at hotels for 14 days at their own expense.

In addition, doctors and nurses from Cuban medical brigade Henry Reeve have provided people who live in Matanzas's hardest hit municipalities with medical assistance as a new COVID-19 protocol for the treatment of patients and suspected cases came into effect.

Meanwhile, in the Cuban province of Holguin, located some 750 km east of Havana, a sanitary intervention with the locally made Abdala COVID-19 vaccine is set to begin in the coming days, local media reported.

"I have long waited for this moment," Holguin resident Virginia Hernandez told Xinhua. "As more people get vaccinated against the coronavirus, we will be in better conditions to tackle the pandemic."

So far, more than 3 million people countrywide have received at least the first dose of the locally made COVID-19 vaccine.

Cuba expects to immunize the country's entire population against COVID-19 in the second half of the year. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)