The "Sovereign 01" vaccine began clinical trials in humans and became the first in Latin America - and in all the so-called "underdeveloped world" - to advance to this second phase.
So far there are 167 potential vaccines registered against COVID-19. The Cuban joined 29 others that the WHO has already approved for clinical trials, six of which are in phase 3, that of large-scale human testing. In Latin America there are another dozen vaccines in development but, except for the Cuban one, all are in the preclinical phase.
The vaccine candidate that the island produces is moving forward successfully. Since the clinical trials began on August 24, "it reports zero serious adverse event after the injection of the first 20 volunteers," as tweeted Dagmar García Rivera, research director of the Finlay Institute, the Cuban state scientific center that directs the project.
The sample will include 676 people between the ages of 19 and 80 and the results are expected to be on February 1. In case of a happy ending, Cuba will have its own vaccine available to the population in the first quarter of 2021.
That Cuba is marching, once again, at the forefront in the scientific-health field is the result of a long accumulated experience in preventive medicine, mass immunization and the development of a biotechnology industry of undeniable international prestige. Since the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, professional training was promoted from the universities and a Scientific Pole was created with the aim of combining research with production.
The manufacture of vaccines is one of the most significant achievements: Cuba produces eight of the eleven vaccines of its national immunization program, which has a coverage of over 98% and, of course, is free and universal. In 1962, the first vaccination campaign was carried out, with which it became the first country to eradicate poliomyelitis. Another of its milestones was to achieve, in 1990, its own vaccine against Hepatitis-B, practically achieving the disappearance of that disease. And a remarkable fact: the Cuban medical research platform, made up of 32 state companies with more than 10,000 workers dedicated to the production of medicines and vaccines, is made up mostly of women.