By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Sept. 7, 2021: One Caribbean country continues to lead the region in COVID-19 cases and deaths, News Americas has found.
Cuba now has a whopping 704,675 cases, with 38,092 of those listed as active.
By contrast, the Dominican Republic, which had led the region for months with most cases in the height of the pandemic last year, now has 351,894 cases and only 5,056 active cases.
Cuba’s death toll from the virus is also the highest in the region and 44th in the world at 5,881. Another 93 new deaths were reported today and an additional 7,771 new cases.
Cuba now ranks 44th in the world for the most cases and deaths.
On Monday, Cuba started vaccinating toddlers as young as two in a global first, aiming to get all children inoculated before schools reopen, reported AFP.
The country of 11 million people is using locally-produced COVID-19 vaccines – Abdala and Soberana – that are not recognized by the World Health Organization. Local clinical trials, however, have shown that the two vaccines have an efficacy rate of more than 90%, reported The Guardian.
The country is hoping the inoculation effort will get its children back to school. Children have been attending schools through lessons on television programs due to the lack of universal internet access since March 2020. Authorities have said schools will reopen gradually in October after all children are vaccinated, reported AFP.
Puerto Rico is third in the region with 208,000 cases and 2,923 deaths while Jamaica is at fourth with 71,987 cases and 1,637 deaths. Some 21,429 are active cases.
The DR has 4,012 deaths, the second most in the Caribbean region.
