Venezuela has started vaccinating children aged between 2 and 11 against Covid-19 with the Cuban Sovereign 2 vaccine, according to an announcement this Monday (8) by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
Cuba, a close ally of Nicolás Maduro’s government, says its Abdala, Soberana 2 and Soberana Plus vaccines are more than 90% effective.
While Cuban officials say the initial results are similar to those of other vaccines that significantly reduce transmission, severe illness and deaths, experts complain that the results have not yet been peer-reviewed.
“In Venezuela, the use of Sovereign 2 vaccine, the Cuban vaccine, has already been authorized to vaccinate children between the ages of 2 and 11,” Rodríguez said in a statement live on the state television channel.
From a school in western Caracas, Rodríguez added that health professionals had begun vaccinating children whose immune systems were compromised.
There are approximately 3.5 million children between the ages of 2 and 11 in Venezuela, according to Health Minister Carlos Alvarado, who accompanied Rodríguez on the broadcast.
Venezuela recorded 413,135 infections and 4,965 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic.
Reference: CNN Brasil
