Washington, Mar 31 (Prensa Latina) The influential American newspaper The Washington Post highlights the potential that Cuba has today to produce its own vaccines against Covid-19, immunize the island’s population with them and distribute doses to other nations.
According to the report from that media, Cuba could become the smallest country in the world to develop «not just one, but multiple vaccines against the coronavirus.»
Currently, details that North American publication, five Cuban vaccine candidates are being developed, and two are already in the last phase of clinical trials, with the objective of a broader implementation by May.
If they prove successful, he adds, the vaccines would be a feat of medical prowess, and those doses are expected to be cheaper than those currently available on the market and easier to store, without requiring low temperatures.
This makes them a viable option for low-income tropical countries that have been left behind by large and wealthy nations in the race for the drug.
The Washington also Post notes that Cuba could be among the first nations in the world to achieve herd immunity, putting it in a position to attract tourists again and export doses elsewhere.
According to the newspaper, investments in education and health care ‘planted the seed of what is today an unusually sophisticated biotechnological device for a small developing country, with at least 31 research companies and 62 factories with more than 20,000 workers. ‘.
Cuba produces eight of the 11 vaccines required at the national level and exports them to more than 30 nations, the newspaper underlines.
If Cuban vaccines are successful, according to that outlet, the island’s researchers will have overcome more obstacles than their peers in western laboratories as the largest of the Antilles faces a shortage of equipment, spare parts and other supplies due to United States sanctions.
Likewise, he adds, they are experiencing many difficulties in acquiring supplies and equipment as a result of these restrictive measures.
«Having almost fully vaccinated population and offering doses to foreign visitors could also help Cuba offset a dramatic drop in tourism revenue during the pandemic,» he notes.
According to the article published the day before in The Washington Post, a triumph for Cuba’s vaccines could further elevate Havana’s diplomatic influence, generating goodwill with the nations that receive their doses.
"An Island on a Continent" 