Paraguay Makes Formal Request to Buy Cuban COVID-19 Vaccines

He clarified that no country can yet finalize the purchase but that the first step was taken to sign the contract.

"We have already placed the order, we have already formalized, and BioCubaFarma informed me that they have already sent the contracts to formalize," commented the diplomat in telephone contact with local Paraguayan media 780 AM.

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Argentina: Gov't Expresses Interest in Cuban COVID-19 Vaccines

The Paraguayan representative to the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel pointed out that several countries are interested in the vaccines but that they cannot be marketed until they have been certified, which would be at the end of next month, he indicated.

"There are several countries that are negotiating. None of them can buy yet until approval is granted. The approval would theoretically have to be by the end of July," he said.

"Paraguay made the official approach to BioCubaFarma for the acquisition of the vaccines. According to Paraguayan ambassador Bernardino Cano Radil, the vaccines would have the authorization by the end of July to be marketed."

Cano Radil pointed out that more than two million people have already been inoculated with this vaccine in the experimental or clinical trial phase. "They have already vaccinated two million people. They are in phase three of the vaccination," he said.

It should be recalled that Cuba is not part of the Covax mechanism created by the World Health Organization (WHO) for middle and low-income countries to have access to vaccines, nor did it buy vaccines in the international market.

Paraguay is also waiting to receive part of the remainder of vaccines from the US, which total 80 million doses, and which will be distributed to many other countries in the world. Joe Biden's government announced that 25 million doses would be delivered in the first stage, of which 6 million will be exclusively for Latin America.