Cuba's COVID-19 Vaccine to Benefit Latin America, PAHO Says

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) highlighted that the Sovereign 01 vaccine could benefit the Latin American peoples when Cuban scientists finish developing it.

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During a virtual meeting between directors of the Finlay Vaccine Institute, the PAHO experts mentioned this possibility as part of the international cooperation that Cuba could offer to guarantee universal access for Latin Americans to the vaccine against the new coronavirus.

Jose Montoya, the PAHO representative in Cuba, confirmed to TeleSUR that his organization will acquire the Sovereign 01 to make it available to other countries.

He also expressed his desire that such a medicine satisfies all the tests and rigorous protocols as soon as possible.

On August 24, Cuban scientists began clinical trials of Soberana 01 with a group of 20 individuals ranging in age from 19 to 59 years.

On September 3, the vaccine was administered to another group of 20 volunteers whose ages ranged between 60 and 80 years. 

Besides confirming that they are in good health, the volunteers indicated that a mild pain at the injection site was the only adverse effect.

On Sept. 11, the Cuban vaccine will enter the next phase of clinical testing in which 676 volunteers will participate. Although the investigation must conclude all its stages in January 2021, the results of the study will be available at the end of November.

In Latin America, Cuba is the only country whose scientists have received authorization to conduct clinical trials of a domestically produced vaccine.

This technological achievement is the consequence of decades of accumulated research in preventive medicine and mass immunization. It is also the result of a biopharmaceutical industry with the capacity to compete with pharmaceutical transnationals.

In Cuba, all citizens will have free access to the COVID-19 vaccine through the public health system.