Cuba, which kept coronavirus infections low last year, now has the highest rate of contagion per capita in Latin America that has strained its healthcare sector and helped stoke rare protests that have roiled the island.

The Caribbean nation of 11 million people reported nearly 4,000 confirmed cases per million residents over the last week, nine times more than the world average and more than any other country in the Americas for its size.

The outbreak, fuelled by the arrival of the more contagious Delta variant first identified in India, has pushed hospitals at the virus epicentre in the province of Matanzas to the brink.

Read the full Reuters story here.

A man holds an image of Cuba's former President and First Secretary of the Communist Party Raul Castro during a rally amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in Havana, Cuba, July 17. — Reuters
A man holds an image of Cuba's former President and First Secretary of the Communist Party Raul Castro during a rally amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in Havana, Cuba, July 17. — Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...