Roseau, Dominica, February 2, 2022. A videoconference on cuban vaccines against COVID-19 Abdala and Soberana, was held today by cuban authorities and specialists from MINSAP, BIOCUBAFARMA, CIGB and the IFV; in which the main health authorities of Dominica, the Ambassador of Cuba in this country and the head of the Permanent Cuban Brigade of Health Collaborators participated.
On the Dominica side were presents, the Minister of Health, Wellness and New Health Investment, Honorable Dr. Irving MacIntyre; the Parliamentary Secretary in that Ministry, the Honorable Kent Edwards; the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Letitia Lestrade-Wyke; the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Johnson; the Director (Ag) Primary Health Care Services, Dr. Lynora Fevrier-Drigo; the National Epidemiologist, Dr. Shalauddin Ahmed, the National Coordinator of the COVID-19 vaccination program, Dr. Keevian Burnette and EPI Manager, Mrs. Florestine Lewis.
The part of the cuban speakers was headed by Dr. Francisco Durán García, National Director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba, who conveyed a greeting from the Minister of Public Health, Dr. José Angel Portal; and it was integrated by Dr. David Curbelo, Business and Marketing Director of BIOCUBAFARMA; Dr. Martha Ayala, General Director of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB); M.Sc. Ricardo Pérez Valerino, Head of International Relations Department of the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV), as well as other representatives of said institutions.
Presentations on the characteristics and results of cuban vaccines were given by Dr. Liz Alvarez-Lajonchere, Coordinator of the ABDALA Project, Department of Vaccines of CIGB. and M.Sc. Indira Utria Torres, Head of Business Department of the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV), in the case of the Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus vaccines. Both presentations aroused much interest in the participants who asked several questions.
The Minister of Health of Dominica, the Honorable Dr. Irving McIntyre, thanked the cuban authorities for the extensive information presented by the speakers and reported that the Adbala and Soberana 02 vaccines have been included in the list of vaccines that are recognized upon entry to Dominica of travelers. He stressed that the information offered by speakers was very useful to continue advancing in this field.
For his part, Ambassador Ulises Arranz Fernández thanked the representation of the cuban institutions for the effort made in the organization and development of the videoconference, which, he said, had the support of the Dominica health authorities, especially the Minister, the Parliamentary Secretary and the Permanent Secretary. He expressed the willingness of the Cuba government to continue providing the information that will be requested by the Dominica authorities, on the results of the application of cuban vaccines.
Embacuba Dominica
