Crisis In Cuba: food, economy, COVID
The current shortages in Cuba as well as the surge in COVID-19 cases need to be addressed immediately
The entire world continues to go through a difficult recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but some countries have it much harder than others. Cuba is struggling simultaneously with a surge in COVID-19 cases and an economic crisis that has resulted in medicine and food shortages. Many Cubans, both local and those living internationally, have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the central government and raise awareness about the crisis in Cuba. To this crisis there are 4 key parts: trade restrictions, lost revenue and economic turmoil, the local COVID vaccine, and of course the Delta variant.
Restricted Trade
It all started at the start of this pandemic. Actually, that’s a lie, it actually started decades ago. The U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba has existed since 1962 and severely restricts exporting American goods to Cuba and importing Cuban goods to America. However, in 2017, President Donald Trump tightened this embargo, even more, increasing the impact on Cuban industry in recent years. This embargo has been condemned annually by the United Nations as a violation of international law. It has prevented essential supplies from being purchased by Cuba while also preventing Cuba from selling goods to the U.S.- which then limits revenue flow into the country. Many Cuban Americans are currently advocating for the U.S. embargo to be removed to combat the poverty that is resulting from a limited economic market in Cuba.
However, it is important to note that Cuba's central government and communist/authoritarian rule are also part of the problem. When the Soviet Union collapsed and Cuba lost the subsidiaries and investments it was receiving from it, the economy immediately contracted over 35% and continued to contract into the present, with the pandemic causing an extra 11% contraction of the economy. The free market is severely restricted in Cuba, preventing anyone who is not already wealthy enough or powerful enough to surpass government regulations from accumulating wealth.
Cuba has attempted to increase its economic reforms to legalize more private businesses during the pandemic to save the economy, but many are still upset that the government is doing too little too late. The government also continues to be selective about where it receives aid from, and recently rejected donations from an international campaign called #SOSCuba. Meanwhile, the situation in Cuba worsens as meat, chicken, and milk become scarce in the common stores or “bodegas” (the stores for the wealthy that only accept foreign currency remain fully stocked) and the government turns to a rationing system.
Losing Sources of Revenue
During the pandemic, the economic instability of Cuba has been worsened by the fall of the top industries in Cuba, the most notable being tourism. Restrictions under the Trump administration limited travel to Cuba from America and economic stimulation through tourism. Additionally, Cuba's closed border strategy for the first 8 months of the pandemic severely limited local income from foreign travel.
Another form of revenue and method of distributing food and medicines in the country is through remittances. These are “gifts” from family or friends outside of Cuba that are sent to local Cubans as packages or delivered during trips. Due to embargo restrictions, pandemic restrictions, and the loss of jobs/income during the pandemic, the flow of remittances into Cuba has been cut off. This then restricts local access to food, medicines, and money during the time of crisis.
Home-made COVID Vaccine
It is impossible to discuss the situation in Cuba right now without addressing the pandemic. Daily COVID-19 cases have doubled over the week of July 11th to 6,923. The epicenter of the surge in Cuban COVID-19 cases is in the province of Matanzas. Though Cuba loosened restrictions after low case numbers in November, the government is now implementing more pandemic measures such as curfews to curb COVID-19 rates.
Like most countries, the government is also implementing a vaccination campaign to deal with COVID-19. However, it started much later than those of other countries, with rollout only beginning mid-May. Why? Well, Cuba decided to make its own COVID-19 vaccinations instead of purchasing from outside of the country. President Díaz Canal of Cuba believed that the pandemic was the perfect opportunity to show off Cuba's “sovereign answer to COVID-19” through local vaccines. It was an opportunity to show the benefits of communism and authoritarian rule on health services and the biotech industry but it came at the cost of the people.
There are two vaccines currently being administered in Cuba: Abdala and Soberena 2. Abdala is a three-dose vaccination with a 92.3% effectiveness rate against COVID-19. Soberena 2 is a two-dose vaccination with a 91.2% effectiveness rate against COVID-19. The effectiveness rates of these two vaccines are very good and comparable to those of vaccines made by developed countries such as Pfizer and Moderna. They are also “low-tech” vaccines, unlike Pfizer and Moderna that are cheaper to make and easier to store (don’t need extremely low temperatures).
Though the vaccines developed by Cuban scientists are actually quite successful, their late rollout plan has had consequences. The biotech industry in Cuba has consistently suffered from a lack of investment due to the central economy and foreign restrictions such as the U.S. embargo. The clinical trials and rollout plans continued to be delayed during the vaccine’s development, eventually leading to the vaccines being put to use even before the third phase of clinical trials was completed.
Late Vaccination Rollout Consequences
The Cuban government ended up denying vaccine offers from Russia, Cuba, and even the UN’s Covaz Initiative in this pursuit of making a local vaccine. This has had severe consequences since the late rollout of the vaccinations has made the Cuban population extremely vulnerable to the new Delta variant. Cuba’s vaccination campaign is now in a race against the Delta variant as only 15% of the population, which is 1.7 million people, are fully vaccinated in Cuba
Cuba is pushing for a goal to vaccinate 70% of the population by August and has sped up the vaccination campaigns as cases rise. Fortunately, the healthcare system in Cuba is highly efficient, with an 8:1000 doctor to patient ratio that is three times greater than that of the UK or the U.S. This means that doctors know where most of their patients live and even do vaccination home visits. There is also a high level of trust in the healthcare system by the Cuban population, making high vaccination rates attainable.
For the Cubans, there is hope in terms of the pandemic, but the rest of the economy still has to be urgently addressed by the government. Even with a successful vaccination program, the country has a lack of supplies such as syringes. They have a shortage of about 20 million syringes to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, especially since one of their vaccines requires three doses. Global Health Partners has started a campaign that is raising money to get syringes to Cuba but this is just one of many other shortages Cuba is facing.
We must take the time to learn about what is happening in Cuba, advocate for Cubans, donate, and if possible take to the streets and get involved with protests. Currently, over 14 cities in Cuba have full-fledged protests going on as well as numerous cities in the U.S. with significant Cuban American populations. Standing up for Cubans is standing up for human rights, and the more we discuss what is going on in Cuba, the more action we can take on both an individual and international level.
Oh wow, thank you for sharing this! Honestly, I tried to stay away from the news which is bad but I'm somewhat of an empath so it took a toll on my mental health hearing about these things so often from the media. Its super interesting to hear about the vaccine situation from all over the world. x
Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Cuba seems so far away from me but the problems this country is facing should be taken on account from everyone. I was not aware of what is going on there but as you said the problems are related to human rights. People awareness of one problem is always the first step towards a solution. Thank you for making us aware of what is going there!