Coronavirus: Cuba approves two new vaccines | The regulatory authority has approved the emergency use of Soberana 2 and Soberana Plus

Cuba has authorized the emergency use of its Soberana 2 and Soberana Plus vaccines, there are three vaccines developed by Cuban scientists and the first in Latin America, said the country’s drug regulatory authority (Cecmed).

After a “rigorous evaluation process for vaccine candidates Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus, whose owner is the Finlay Vaccine Institute, the Cecmed has decided to grant them the Authorization for Use in Emergencies (AUE), said this body.

The announcement came as Cuba experiences a high incidence of COVID-19 infections and a month after Abdala, another Cuban vaccinator, became the first vaccine designed and developed on the island. “This was possible after a rigorous evaluation process” in recent weeks, during which “all the results related to the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccine were evaluated,” said Olga Lidia Jacobo, director of Cecmed.

The manager explained that a “formulation of Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus which does not contain thimerosal” has also been approved, intended for people allergic to this substance.

Sovereign, who according to Cuban health authorities It is 91.2% effective against symptomatic cases, is part of a vaccination schedule that combines two doses of Soberana 02 and a third with Soberana Plus. This Soberana 2 and Plus regimen, as well as that of Abdala, also with three doses, began to be applied to the population of Havana and other provinces since last May as part of a health intervention study.

Although the vaccination started then, infections soared last July and in some provinces of the country, shortages of oxygen and supplies have started to be recorded.

In the past 24 hours, 78 deaths and 9,764 coronavirus infections have been reported, totaling 4,397 deaths and 564,011 cases since March 2020, when the first people with coronavirus were recorded in the country.

Until this week, Cuba, of 11.2 million inhabitants, had administered 12.3 million doses to those who until then were vaccine candidates, Soberana 2 and Soberana Plus, and with the Abdala vaccine. To date, just over three million people have received all three doses., while 4.3 million have two apps and 4.8 million have one.