People wearing face masks are seen on a street in Havana, Cuba, April 22, 2021. Cuba registered on Thursday 1,207 new COVID-19 infections in one day, the highest recorded daily figure, bringing the tally to 97,967 cases, the Ministry of Public Health said, adding that there were also another 12 deaths, for a total of 559. Photo:Xinhua

Cuba registered on Thursday 1,207 new COVID-19 infections in one day, the highest recorded daily figure, bringing the tally to 97,967 cases, the Ministry of Public Health said, adding that there were also another 12 deaths, for a total of 559.

April has turned into the worst month since the beginning of the pandemic on the island, according to the ministry's national director of hygiene and epidemiology Francisco Duran, with 21,691 cases and 134 deaths so far.

Havana, the epicenter of the country's pandemic, registered another 681 cases in the past day, with an incidence rate of 382.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.

A man wearing a face mask walks on a street in Havana, Cuba, April 22, 2021. Cuba registered on Thursday 1,207 new COVID-19 infections in one day, the highest recorded daily figure, bringing the tally to 97,967 cases, the Ministry of Public Health said, adding that there were also another 12 deaths, for a total of 559. Photo:Xinhua

Cuba has been facing a new wave of COVID-19 infections since January, as authorities have moved to regulate the closure of many public spaces, restrict mobility, and require testing and quarantining for arriving travelers.

Meanwhile, the third and final phase of clinical trials for the Cuban vaccine candidate Soberana-02 continues in Havana alongside an intervention study among health workers, while Phase II clinical trials for another vaccine candidate Soberana Plus continue in the capital.

In addition, Phase III clinical trials and an intervention trial for the vaccine candidate Abdala are being carried out in the eastern part of the country, while two other candidates, Soberana-01 and Mambisa, are at different stages of research.