August 1, 2021
photo: Instituto Finlay de Vacunas
The anti-Covid-19 vaccination at pediatric ages in Cuba will have a similar design to the immunization campaign that has been applied on the Island for 59 years, announced scientific authorities.
“About the immunization in pediatric ages, it was explained in a meeting yesterday with President Miguel Díaz-Canel that it will be carried out in the format of a vaccination campaign (like the anti-polio one), so it will be intensive, with many people being vaccinated in a short time,” according to the Cuban Finlay Institute of Vaccines (IFV) by way of Twitter.
The day before, in a meeting between scientists and authorities of the Ministry of Public Health with the temporary working group for the confrontation of the pandemic, headed by the president, it was detailed that they plan to immunize with Sovereign 02 to children aged 12 to 18 years starting on September 5. And from September 15 to November 15, also with Sovereign 02, children from 2 to 11 years old will be vaccinated.
In addition, from September 3 to October 4, students in 12th grade, third year of technical-professional education and last year of pedagogical training will receive Abdala, the other Cuban vaccine authorized for emergency use and designed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.
Cuba’s goal is that by September, the entire COVID-19 vaccine-eligible population will be on the immunization schedule and will have at least one dose.
By November, 92.6 percent of the population will have received the three injections, including children, adolescents and young people from two to 18 years.
In a presentation to the country’s leadership on the progress of vaccination in Cuba and the vaccination schedule, Minsap’s Director of Science and Innovation, Ileana Morales, pointed out that this process has been authorized by the Center for the Control of Medicines and Medical Equipment (Cecmed).
The IFV, leader of the Soberana Pediatrics trial, designed the Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus immunogens which are currently being applied in a clinical study to 350 children in Havana between three and 18 years of age.
This scheme (two doses of Soberana 02 at a 28-day interval plus one dose of Soberana Plus on day 56) has already shown 91.2 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease in the analysis of Phase III testing.
Regarding the preliminary results in small children, the IFV’s director, Vicente Véres, emphasized the importance of the results recently highlighted that in adolescents, almost 93 percent responded favorably with only two doses of Soberana 02, and only seven percent remained below the expected antibody levels. As for children from three to 11 years old, less than one percent did not respond, ‘and that is very good news,’ he said.
Vérez projected that, “In September, the approximately 4.2 million doses needed to immunize this group will be available.”
Source: Prensa Latina, translation Resumen Lationamericano – English