Cuba Becomes Latest Country To Begin Clinical Trials For Coronavirus Vaccine

Cuba's state-run media reported Wednesday that the country will begin clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine next week. The trials will test a candidate dubbed “Soberena 01,” which has been developed by another state-run entity, the Finlay Institute.

The trials are set to include 676 participants, ranging in age from 19-80, and will involve two injections of the experimental treatment. They will run until Jan. 11, with results expected by February.

Cuba’s biopharmaceutical industry is a major earner for the island nation and currently produces a handful of other vaccines. State-run media has even reported that Russia is considering Cuban producers for the manufacturing of its own controversial new vaccine, which was only recently approved.

Russia’s decision to approve a vaccine before Phase Three clinical trials prompted global backlash. Cuba is expected to more closely follow the guidelines for vaccine testing set forth by the World Health Organization.

“Cuba produces almost 80% of the vaccines used within the national immunization program — there's the Finlay Institute plus a big technology and innovation sector we can fall back on," Jose Moya, Cuban director for the Pan American Health Organization, explained.

Cuba has been hailed for its strong response to the coronavirus pandemic, instituting contact tracing policies early on and making sure to quarantine potential carriers even when they did not show symptoms. For a country of about 11 million people, Cuba has seen around 3,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and only 88 deaths

“Let's remain realistic,” said Francisco Duran, head of epidemiology for the Cuban public health ministry. “For the time being, the only effective protection against the virus is to wear a mask and observe hygiene and distancing rules.”