Many Cubans began being vaccinated for COVID-19 this week, before phase 3 clinical trials of two of the country’s candidate vaccines were completed. The timetable had to be accelerated due to the evolution of the second wave of the new pandemic coronavirus.
Yesterday, Wednesday, while the island of 11.2 million inhabitants announced that 1,207 cases of SARS-CoV-2, Not far from the record, residents of several districts in Havana and other provinces received the first dose of Abdala, one of two candidate vaccines in the third phase of clinical trials.
The project, which baptized public health intervention, accelerated vaccination campaign By decision of the Ministry of Health, it is recorded as the authorities anticipate that the competent supervisory body will give approval to both Abdallah and Soberana 2, the second most advanced candidate vaccine.
At Regla Medical Center, 69-year-old Cecilia Reges, hypertensive, asthmatic and heartbroken, remained under medical supervision for about an hour after the injection.
Still a little nervous, she does not stop talking, but she is satisfied: “I had no (side effect), now I will go to cook stuffed potatoes”, says the housewife, as broadcast by AMPE.
Ana Maria Cabrera, 74, also waiting for permission to return home, says she “could not wait to live in this moment” as she is very worried “about all the cases” of the new coronavirus in the country.
“They will give us two doses of Abdalla and the third will be with Soberana 2”, she explains, repeating the instructions of the doctor, who took her history.
The small Caribbean country has a long history of vaccines. Under a US embargo since 1962, it began developing its own in the 1980s. Of the 13 vaccines used in the country’s immunization program, eight are produced domestically.
Cuban scientists are working on five candidate vaccines for the new coronavirus. If – as expected – someone gets the green light from the supervisory authority, Cuba will become the first Latin American country to develop and produce its own vaccine for COVID-19.
As for Abdullah, the 3rd phase is practically completed, but its effects are still being analyzed. Soberana 2 is expected to enter this phase within days, in mid-May.
But as Cuba abandons the orthodox approach to what is “the most common” vaccine acceleration, says Amilcar Peres-Riverol, a Cuban molecular biologist and researcher at the University of Suez Canal.
The Cuban authorities justify this “on the basis of two things: the results of phase 2”, which were encouraging in terms of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, and the current epidemiological situation.
Cuba, one of the least severely affected countries in the region, is facing a new wave of pandemics, with 119,375 SARS-CoV-2 cases and 768 deaths. COVID-19.
“If it were not for this epidemiological situation (the authorities) would have waited even longer,” according to the researcher.
In Havana, the epicenter of the epidemic, 1.7 million of the 2.1 million people will be vaccinated between May and August, Health Minister Jose Angel Portal said last Friday.
More than 1.5 million will be vaccinated in Santiago de Cuba (southeast), Juventud (southwest) and Matanzas (west).
“We believe that we will be able to vaccinate 22.6% of the population in June, 33.5% in July and 70% in August,” he explained.
However, the fact that “abandoning the usual protocol” of vaccination procedures “will cause criticism” at the international level, warns Amilkar Peres-Riverol, recalling the Russian and Chinese precedent, where part of the vaccination took place before the completion of clinical trials.
“I believe this skepticism can be reversed when the results of phases 2 and 3 are published in the scientific reviews,” as was the case with Sputnik V, whose effectiveness was verified in a review in The Lancet.
“In Cuba, there has been a culture of trust and admiration for science for several years, above all in terms of public health.”
Niurca Maria Visiedo, a 77-year-old retiree, is a good example. “Abdallah is safe vaccine“even if it is (still) a candidate vaccine”, he assures. “Thanks to Fidel (Castle), thanks to God” and thanks to the fact that “we have scientists”.
“I have no fear, no worries,” said Luis Fonseca, a market vendor who also went on the first installment. “Our health system is very advanced.”
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