Dear Friends,
Happy Friday! We hope you and yours are well.
CDA is seeking two fall interns! Interns work in three key areas: Policy and Advocacy; Communications and Social Media; and Nonprofit Development. Internships may be completed remotely or in-person. The deadline to apply is August 5. Visit our website to learn more about the internship and to read reflections from past interns.
This week, Cuba’s state-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma announced the efficacy levels of the Soberana 02 and Abdala vaccine candidates following the final stages of clinical trials. The two vaccines have proved to be tremendously effective, with two out of three Soberana 02 doses reaching 62 percent efficiency levels and three Abdala doses reaching 92.28 percent.
Meanwhile, the U.S. once again voted against an annual resolution condemning the economic and trade embargo imposed against Cuba during a meeting at the 75th United Nations General Assembly in New York City. While the vote is not legally-binding, it signals the U.S.’s and the international community’s position on the embargo. The resolution typically receives nearly unanimous support. The U.S. traditionally votes no, but abstained from voting on the resolution for the first time in 2016 during the Obama administration’s rapprochement with the island. Had the Biden-Harris administration abstained, it could have signaled an openness to engagement. Instead, the “no” vote could signal a continuation of harmful travel and trade restrictions enacted under the Trump administration. Following the vote this week, the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA), the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Cuban Americans for Engagement (CAFE), MEDICC, and Oxfam Cuba released a joint statement denouncing the U.S.’s vote and approach to Cuba. Read the full statement here.
Yesterday, Cuba reported 177,253 cases of COVID-19. There are currently 10,367 total active cases of COVID-19 on the island, an increase from the previous day. Matanzas reported the largest number of new cases by far compared to other provinces at 452. The total number of deaths since March 2020 is 1,219. For a graph of case numbers since March 2020, see here. For a detailed breakdown of all COVID-19 data, visit this website.
This week, in Cuba news…
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