Friday, March 5, 2021
Cuba has started late stage trials of its most advanced experimental COVID-19 vaccine, coming closer to a potential home-grown vaccination that could help the Caribbean island nation curb infections and ease economic crisis.
This week, Cuba recruited around 44,000 volunteers in Havana between the ages of 19 and 80 for its randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the two-shot vaccine, in which some will receive a third booster shot with another Cuban vaccine candidate. If the vaccine does well, Cuba has said that it would vaccinate its entire population of 11 million.
Cuba said that it would also export the vaccine and offer it to tourists, with the country having a long history of vaccine exports and medical tourism.
Cuba’s most advanced experimental vaccine is fittingly named Soberana (Sovereignty) 2, reflecting national pride in Cuba’s relative self-reliance in areas like healthcare in spite of the crippling decades-old U.S. trade ban. Cuba said in January that late stage trials of Soberana 2 would also take place in ally Iran, which is also under U.S. sanctions and tackling a higher infection rate.
Vicente Vérez, the director of the state-run Finlay Vaccine Institute creating Soberana 2, said last month that the country has the technological ability to produce around 100 million doses this year, “enough to satisfy internal demand and export it.”
Tags: Cuba
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
