Cuba has beaten the pandemic, but is getting beaten by sanctions

On July 20, almost four months after the first Covid-19 case in Latin America, Cuba recorded its first day without a single new confirmed infection. With only 2,446 cases and 87 deaths — the fourth-lowest number in the region — Cuba is one of the few countries in the world which can realistically claim it is winning the war against the coronavirus. On the other hand, the nearby Dominican Republic — one of the fastest-growing economies in the region — has battled with 57,600 cases and 1,000 confirmed deaths.

But overcoming the virus in Cuba has not been an easy task.

Since Cuba’s coronavirus outbreak started in February, the island has been testing and monitoring tourists, using its state-owned television channels to promote isolation measures — even broadcasting arrests of those who do not comply — reporting cases, and even sending doctors from door to door. The secret to Cuba’s success is that the island nation has the highest rate of doctors per 1,000 inhabitants in the world: 8.2, according to the World Bank.

That such results were achieved are even more impressive considering the island is still under heavy U.S. economic sanctions. “The blockade is stopping Cuba from getting much-needed medical supplies. For example, if more than 10 percent of the components in the medical equipment or medications we want to buy are of U.S. origin, then Cuba is not allowed to purchase them,” writes Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Cuba’s Ambassador to Canada.

Despite the global health crisis — which could cause Cuba’s economy to shrink by 8 percent in 2020 — the U.S. has refused to lift economic sanctions. The embargo, according to the Cuban government, results in a USD 4-billion loss per year, representing almost 4 percent of the...