The Cuban vaccine, Alberto Fernández’s new bet in the face of the shortage of spread doses

Trapped in the coronavirus vaccine supply deficit, the president Alberto Fernandez confirmed that he had started to dialogue with him government of Cuba to take an interest in the development of the Sovereign, the formula that this country has in the test phase.

“Cuba has done a job that all scientists tell me it’s wonderful, very important, develop a vaccine called Soberana, which has two versions: Soberana 01 and Soberana 02, which are now in phase three, ”Fernández said in statements to Radio 10. Commenting that he discussed the matter with the Cuban President, Miguel Diaz-CanelHe said: “I asked him what exactly was the production capacity they had. Poor Cuba, still a victim of the blockade and the difficulties it has to function. And I suggested to the president to see what joint work we can do so that Latin America can quickly have a vaccine that can reach all of Latin America ”.

Despite the shortage, Fernández said the Argentines did not know that “We are receiving the vaccines that many Latin American countries do not.” And he expressed his wish that “all Latin Americans will be vaccinated”.

Argentina has received so far 7.2 million doses, mainly from Sputnik V, from the Russian laboratory Gamaleya. The vaccines also arrived from China (Sinopharm) and the development of AstraZeneca. The government had promised to vaccinate 22 million people by the end of the summer and now has great difficulty adding supplies as stocks run out. The next announced shipment arrives Sunday, on a scheduled KLM flight: a shipment of 864,000 doses of AstraZeneca, which is part of the mechanism Covax.

In the Latin American order, if the data of doses administered per 100 inhabitants are taken into account Argentina ranks fifth behind Chile, Uruguay, Brazil and the Dominican Republic, according to comparative tables published by Our World in Data.

The pace of the vaccination plan, slower than announced at the end of last year, led the government to announce new traffic restrictions yesterday, which include the suspension of face-to-face classes in the metropolis of Buenos Areas and the ban on being in the street between 8 and 6.

Hopes for a Cuban vaccine have not waited a moment yet. The most advanced formula is the so-called Sovereign 02, alluding to the pride the island’s government feels for its autonomy despite decades of hostility with the United States. Sovereign 02 has passed two test phases and is about to enter a third, during which some 150,000 people will be injected in Cuba and Iran. Mexico is in talks to participate in the third phase of testing. Government sources have not confirmed whether Fernández plans to add Argentina to this process.

Sovereign 02 is a protein-based vaccine that contains part of the coronavirus. According to the known package inserts, three doses are required administered at two week intervals. Doesn’t need extreme cold like Moderna, Gamaleya and Pfizer, which can alleviate logistical problems, especially in resource-poor countries.

Díaz-Canel estimates that his country will be able to produce 100 million doses this year, which would be enough for the entire population of the island and could also be used for foreign tourists (key to the Cuban economy) . It remains to be seen if the economic sanctions of the United States do not end up complicating the manufacturing plan, to make the test phase prosper, precisely at a time when there is a lack of supply at the global level linked to the industry. vaccines.

THE NATION