Havana, Cuba.- Cuban healthcare authorities reported five other Covid-19 cases on Thursday, so the total number of patients rose to 16.

The new patients are four foreigners and a Cuban woman from Italy who works in a cruise ship, Minister of Public Health Jose Angel Portal said at the daily meeting to evaluate the prevention and control plan against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, and chared by President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

All 15 cases (one patient died) have a stable condition without complications so far, as well as their contacts.

He added that 523 patients, including 159 foreigners, remain hospitalized under epidemiological surveillance.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected 153 countries with more than 213,000 cases and 8,800 deaths so far.