A group of 11 Senators and State Representatives from Minnesota sent a letter to the Governor of that state communicating the legislative resolution requesting to collaborate with Cuba to obtain assistance and crucial experience for Minnesota residents in the midst of the pandemic and refers to the blockade against the Caribbean nation. This is the text of the letter:

Photo: Archive.

8/7/2020
Dear Governor Walz,

We are writing to you about the COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping the country. As you know, it has resulted in our nation having the highest death toll and the highest number of confirmed cases in the world. Although Minnesota has done relatively well compared to other
states, the pandemic now appears to have renewed energy that threatens to cross state lines in an attack that may well turn into the “wildfire” that Dr. Michael Osterholm predicts is
imminent. .

We also know that, as a former senior national security official recently put it, “at a time when our country needs an orchestrated, coordinated, and hands-on response, there is simply no
hand at the helm, and … unfortunately, we cannot keep waiting for the administration. “

Given the seriousness of the situation, we believe it is time to start thinking about collaborating and working with partners outside of our usual frame of reference and comfort zone.

To that end, shortly before the legislature suspended sine die in late May, Senator Sandy Pappas is the author of SF 4619, a resolution that would help address that need. He urged our leadership to look beyond our traditional associations and consider reaching out to the nation
of Cuba. The supplemental bill, HF4690, was introduced in the House by Representative John Lesch.

The resolution lays out a number of reasons for its proposal, concluding, in part, that, “the people of Minnesota and the United States remain at risk of contracting the infectious disease; the country’s death rate from the virus is among the highest. Highs in the world and a cooperative and committed response from the executive, legislative and judicial branches of
the government is required to address the disaster. “

He then asked you, Governor Walz, to “direct the Department of Health and other agencies, as appropriate, to investigate the potential to collaborate with Cuba to obtain crucial assistance and expertise for Minnesotans amid the pandemic.”

As you may know, Senator Pappas has been interested for some years in the uniqueness of the developments in Cuba regarding its medical system and biotechnology and has taken three delegations to Cuba to learn more about them.

As she and others now know, and as established in the resolution, Cuba has practically conquered COVID-19 and, as of July 6, with a population of 11.3 million people, had counted a cumulative death of only 86 and a total number of cases of 2,380. The resolution further notes
that, at the end of April, 50 countries had requested assistance from Cuba to combat the virus, with the province of Lombardy in Italy, heavily affected, among the first to receive the aid. More than 80 countries have also requested assistance with pharmaceutical products from Cuba and there are currently 37 Cuban medical brigades in 30 countries fighting COVID-19.

The resolution also recognizes the fact that Cuba has a long history of providing medical assistance to other countries during Ebola, swine flu, dengue and other epidemics to which its specially trained Henry Reeve brigades have sent, often at no cost, to many of the world’s poorest
nations. She goes on to point to the success Cuba has had with its research on treatment for COVID-19. The recombinant drug interferon alfa-2B is the best known, but also working with drugs that stimulate immunity and other therapies, with “70 investigations in progress
protocols in Cuba related to COVID-19. ”Unfortunately, these drugs are not yet available here, due to the US embargo, although clinical trials are underway in other countries that could make them available in the US. sometime.

However, Cuba’s success in treating the pandemic both at home and in other countries is not only due to its biotechnology sector, but also has to do with its commitment to a high standard of public health, with a system that involves neighborhood meetings, door-to-door health checks, tests, contact tracing and quarantine,

While the US embargo clearly creates challenges, in 2016 Cuba and the US negotiated a major memorandum of understanding aimed at “enhancing and expanding cooperative efforts in health and biomedical sciences” between the two countries. This agreement has not been withdrawn and remains in effect today. Furthermore, as we have learned from the stories about Cuba
innovation and ingenuity during the past few years of scarcity and lack of resources, we
believe that there may be unforeseen ways in which we could benefit from working with your doctors and scientists.

A recent development has been the offering of MEDICC, an organization with a 30-year history of supporting US-Cuban healthcare collaborations, to work with professors at the University of
Minnesota to focus on learning from the experience of Cuba with COVID-19. It is anticipated that the initial product of the faculty members’ work with MEDICC would be a virtual education forum for researchers, practitioners, and political leaders.

We should also point out that although the Minnesota resolution urging collaboration with Cuba was not presented in time to schedule a hearing, the news of its presentation was received with great enthusiasm by several Cuban newspapers and radio and television stations as well as in Granma, the main means of communication of the Cuban government.

Minnesota has been a leader in medical technology and development over the years, and we now have the ability to write a new chapter in that history by coming to a country that has also become a leader in science and technology at the same time. it shows a singular humanity towards other nations in need.

As the state that may now be better known as the place where George Floyd was killed, we have an obligation to our people of color and Indigenous communities to demonstrate our commitment to addressing the vast disparity in the impact of the pandemic on their populations.

Our proposal may present one of the best opportunities to do so by recognizing and learning from a country whose medical brigades and outreach have brought assistance to the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged people.

In conclusion, we would like to share our appreciation for your outstanding leadership, Governor Walz, in this current crisis, and we urge you to consider building on that legacy by exploring this unique opportunity to reach out to our country’s southern neighbor.

Sincerely,

Senator Sandy Pappas
Representative Mary Kunesh-Podein
Representative Kristin Bahner
Senator Chuck Wiger
Representative Aisha Gomez
Representative Hodan Hassan
Senator Patricia Torres Ray
Senator Carolyn Laine
Senator Chris Eaton
Representative Sandra Masin
Representative John Lesch