Cuba coronavirus update: 1,079 fresh Covid-19 cases, 7 deaths reported

Cuba registered 1,079 new cases and seven more deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 141,166 and the death toll to 950, the Ministry of Public Health reported on Sunday.

"A kind of plateau has been created in the number of cases and deaths as a result of non-compliance with established sanitary measures and perhaps due to the presence of new strains of the virus," said the ministry's director of hygiene and epidemiology Francisco Duran, Xinhua news agency reported.

Duran stated during his daily televised report that of the cases reported on Sunday, 1,047 had been caused by community transmission.

Havana saw a slight decrease in infections compared to previous days, but with 434 new cases reported in its 15 municipalities. It maintained the highest incidence rate in the country, with 401.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The ministry has been carrying out a vaccination campaign in seven municipalities in Havana for almost two weeks and has continued it in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba, and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud.

So far, over 800,000 Cubans have been vaccinated.

The most advanced Cuban vaccine candidates, Soberana-02 and Abdala, are being used in this program, while three other candidates, Soberana-01, Soberana Plus and Mambisa, are at different phases of clinical trials.

Cuba is facing a new wave of infections that has forced the re-application of preventive health measures throughout the country including the suspension of in-person classes and the closure of public spaces.

--IANS

int/pgh