HAVANA.- The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) reported the death of an Italian tourist due to the coronavirus pneumonia, and three new confirmed cases, bringing the total reported so far in the country to 10.

A press release stated that the 61-year-old Italian patient who had been in the intensive care unit of the "Pedro Kouri" Institute of Tropical Medicine, passed away in the early hours of this Wednesday, March 18.

The cause of death stated was complications that developed due to his illness and previous conditions. Minsap conveyed the deceased´s family and friends its deepest condolences, the text adds.

On the other hand, during the night of March 17, three new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by the molecular biology laboratory of the Provincial Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology of Villa Clara, some 270 kilometers east of Havana.

The first case is a 25-year-old Cuban citizen, resident in the municipality of Santa Clara, Villa Clara province, who arrived on March 8 from Madrid, Spain, and showed the first signs of the disease on March 14. After going to the doctor´s we was transferred to the Manuel "Piti" Fajardo Hospital in the city of Santa Clara.

He remains isolated in that center with satisfactory progress to date; in the outbreak control carried out, five contacts were detected, and they are all isolated and show no symptoms of COVID-19 as of yet.

The second case is a 67-year-old Cuban citizen, also a resident in the municipality of Santa Clara, Villa Clara province, who arrived in Cuba on March 11 from New Jersey, United States of America, and began to show symptoms the following day and on the 16th he want to the doctor´s.

He was diagnosed as a suspect and was referred to and admitted to the Manuel "Piti" Fajardo Hospital in that province. During the outbreak control carried out, five contacts were detected, all of them are isolated and asymptomatic, and he remains isolated with satisfactory progress to date.

The third case is a 77-year-old American citizen, who arrived in the country on March 8 this year from California, United States of America. He began to show symptoms on the 14th and was reported by the driver and tourist guide as having respiratory problems while in Trinidad, Sancti Spíritus province.

He was taken to the international clinic in that city in the early hours of 15 March and identified as a suspect. He was referred to and admitted to the Isolation Centre in Villa Clara province; in the outbreak control carried out, 10 contacts were detected, all of them are now isolated and asymptomatic.