• Media campaign against Cuba takes advantage of blockade effects • Three provinces concentrate the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Cuba • Cuba: COVID-19 vaccines are not the only solution to pandemic • Cuba denounces U.S. cynicism and hypocrisy • Campaign against Cuba is based on lies •

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and several ministers appeared on National Television and Radio network to brief the population on the economic and epidemiological woes affecting the island.

Havana, Cuba.- Cuba woke up on the alert after the destabilizing events reported in various localities on Sunday, which generated the rejection by people from all walks of life.

Crowds took to the streets to voice their support for the Revolution in response to the provocations staged in various towns instigated through social media.

Artists, representatives of political and mass organizations, workers, and people, in general, responded with demonstrations in public spaces.

In his remarks Monday, Díaz-Canel affirmed that on Sunday, an important part of the Cuban people led one of the most historic days in defense of the Revolution by counteracting the provocations that took place.

The President called on the people to respect the country's order and citizen tranquility with a solidarity commitment in the face of the counterrevolutionary campaign enticed from abroad through social media as part of the unconventional war.

After admitting that it is logical that people feel dissatisfaction, he called on Cubans to define the intentions of those who want to divide us.

The Cuban President strongly rejected the vandalism carried out on Sunday by criminals who broke up stores in foreign currency, stole home appliances, and stoned police forces in a clear expression of vulgar and indecent behavior.

Díaz-Canel denied accusations of alleged calls for violence when he urged the population to reject the acts of destabilization registered on Sunday in several country municipalities.

"We do not call on the people to confront the people, but we call on the people to defend their revolution," Díaz-Canel clarified in his appearance, in which he specified that the population defended itself against the acts of violence and vandalism carried out by those who initiated the demonstrations.

Media Campaign against Cuba Takes Advantage of Blockade Effects

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Monday denounced the media campaign against his country and assured that it is based on the scarcity caused by the blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba.

The president said that the nation is the victim of an unconventional war strategy aimed at breaking up the unity between people, government, and the Communist Party of Cuba.

He pointed out that, in the past few weeks, messages against the Revolution have increased on social media to manipulate feelings, create discontent, and stimulate protests.

Diaz-Canel stressed that the main cause of the existing problems in Cuba is the persistence of Washington's economic, commercial and financial blockade, which is why the discourse on Internet platforms against the government is full of slander and manipulation.

The US blockade has limited our ability to purchase medicines or raw materials for their production, as well as the supplies needed to produce vaccines against Covid-19, he said. He also recalled how the media efforts aimed at the power cuts issue, the shortage of food and medicines, and the existence of stores that sell products in hard currency, all consequences of the blockade.

The president warned that, in this situation, people should avoid being confused and be able to realize those aspects with which they want to manipulate and separate the people, he insisted.

Three Provinces Concentrate the Highest Number of COVID-19 Cases in Cuba

Cuban Minister of Public Health José Angel Portal explained here today that three provinces currently concentrate 59.4 percent of infections with the SARS-Cov-2 virus.

In a television appearance, the official explained that these territories are Havana, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba, while today's reports are of 6,423 positive cases, accounting for a total of 238,491 infections in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

486 days after its appearance, Portal said, at the moment we are experiencing the highest intensity of virus transmission, and the highest impact, a situation leading to a health system overload, and of the response capacity as well.

Cuba: COVID-19 Vaccines Are Not the Only Solution to pandemic

Progressing in the anti-COVID-19 vaccination does not stop transmission, there is still a risk of contagion, even though more than seven million doses of those vaccines have been administered.

Cuban Health Minister José Ángel Portal explained in a television appearance that 27.2 percent of Cubans have currently received at least one dose of the vaccine candidates Soberana 02 and Abdala (CIGB-66), the latter received the emergency use authorization just a few days ago.

Also, 22.9 percent have received two doses of the vaccines, and 16.7 percent already received the three injections provided for in the anti-COVID-19 vaccination scheme.

However, there is a high risk of contagion, Portal stressed after recalling that Delta variant of the virus spreads in the country, especially in western Matanzas province, so the situation becomes more complex, with a higher average number of daily cases, and a high increase in deaths.

Cuba Denounces U.S. Cynicism and Hypocrisy

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the cynicism and hypocrisy of U.S. President Joe Biden, who forgot to mention the blockade as the main cause of the island's economic situation.

The Foreign Minister thus responded to a statement on Cuba by the U.S. president, to whom he suggested listening to the calls to eliminate the siege that has been affecting the families of the Caribbean nation for six decades.

Biden asks Havana to hear the people, to alleviate their needs, but maintains the sanctions and the 243 measures imposed by his predecessor, Donald Trump, denounced the head of Cuban diplomacy in a televised appearance on Monday together with President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Rodríguez clarified that what happened in Cuba on Sunday were disturbances caused by a communicational operation. The White House and its agencies allocate millionaire funds and thus manipulate the Cuban reality and the difficulties of the families.

He specified that the destabilizing actions are promoted from abroad and executed by mercenaries and wage earners who use the shortages to incite chaos.

The Foreign Minister recalled the 1960 memorandum by then-Deputy Secretary of State Lester D. Mallory, who said the measure sought to weaken the Cuban economy to provoke hunger, desperation, and ultimately, the overthrow of the Revolution.

Rodríguez added that on June 23, at the U.N. General Assembly, he alerted the international community on how the U.S. government and right-wing sectors in Florida seek to promote artificial leaders and create a reality that does not exist through social media.

Likewise, he acknowledged the forceful response of the people, who made an attempt to generate the chaos to fail and warned that the current scenario is typical of unconventional warfare seeking to generate ungovernability.

The Foreign Minister thanked those in the world who reacted with respect and confidence in the trajectory of the Cuban government in the face of the events that took place on Sunday.

Campaign Against Cuba is Based on Lies 

The Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment of Cuba, Rodrigo Malmierca, said today that the campaign related to aid to his country is based on lies and manipulation.

The head of the cooperation branch added those who affirm that the Antillean island denies the entry of cargo, go against a history of decades of offering and accepting solidarity.

Malmierca explained that in the months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Caribbean nation received more than 500 offers of collaboration from 50 countries, which amount to 45 million dollars.

He said that most of the shipments correspond to medicines, expendable material, and medical equipment, among which he highlighted the donation of lung ventilators made by the Chinese Government.

Nations such as Venezuela, Russia, Canada, Spain, India, South Africa, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are among those that offered their hand to Cuba at this stage, he detailed.

In addition, he commented that the account enabled in the International Financial Bank since November 2020, also received funds for values ​​of around one and a half million dollars.

He emphasized that the main obstacle to the arrival of aid to the Antillean island is not the Cuban government, but the economic, commercial, and financial blockade of the United States, which affects financial transfers and the transfer of donations that come from abroad.

He recognized the efforts of Cubans living abroad, who in a coordinated manner have provided supplies for the health system and other resources.

He also thanked the solidarity of national and regional governments, international organizations, non-government organizations, individuals, and companies.

Among the latter, he highlighted the mixed entity MCV Comercial S.A., which sent a batch of ambulances to the health system and announced that another group is already on the way to the country.

The minister also insisted on the transparency with which the Caribbean nation acts in this area, especially in the distribution of resources and the use of these in the priorities of its economic and social development.

(With information by Radio Havana Cuba and Prensa Latina)