Science is successful and solidarity never fails in Cuba
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António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, claimed that amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which has taken the life of so many people, “the world has reached a heart-wrenching milestone (…) We are witnessing a vaccine vacuum. Science is being successful, but solidarity fails (…) The world needs more solidarity.”
Guterres emphasizes on the aforementioned fact as the current panorama is becoming a sprint regarding the development, production and distribution of vaccines against this new Coronavirus. However, as individual sports itself, superpowers and big pharma companies are leading the race, but not look into the wellbeing of most of the world’s population, which can be understood as behavior lacking humanity and support.
“The vaccinationalism is self-defeating and will delay a global recovery,” added this international authority. Human selfishness gets stronger and is more visible when the situation is more delicate. All manufacturers should work in the interest of the world population and not only wealthy countries. If not, what would the fate of poor nations be?
The solidarity spirit of Cuba has stood out as one of the basic principles of the nation since the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, and its actions have always focused on the wellbeing of its people, guaranteeing the full enjoyment of our rights, and being worthy of a life with health care and education. Science in Cuba is today the result of the great wisdom of Fidel Castro Ruz.
Despite a spike in the number of infected people with SARS-CoV-2 in recent weeks, our figures, which are the result of a coordinated strategy, prove how important the life of children, pregnant women, or any other person is in Cuba. And everything is for free. Health is for free here and no one is left helpless.
Vicente Vérez, director of the Finlay Institute in Havana, announced last Wednesday that Cuba is expected to produce 100 million vaccines against Coronavirus in 2021 aiming at immunizing the whole population. If any of our candidate vaccines get the green light, this Cuban vaccine will be the first of its kind developed and produced in Latin America.
Likewise, amid all this sanitary, economical, crisis, in addition to the cruel blockade imposed by the US, the near complete standstill of tourism, one of our vital key to survival, Vérez highlighted that our goal is to respond to our own demands that of countries in need.
Cuban researchers at the Finlay Center are working together with their counterparts of Canada and Italy to verify the impact, for instance, of the Soberana 01 vaccine in patients already infected with Covid-19, with high risk to being reinfected. The effectiveness of our candidate against the new strain is being also under research as well.
Similarly, the Finlay Institute made public that an agreement with Iran’s Pasteur was signed so that nation can be part of the stage III of Soberana 02. The 100 million doses of Soberana 02 are already of interest to nations like Vietnam, Venezuela and Iran, as well as Pakistan and India, with which Cuba has collaboration agreements.
Right now, Cuban scientists are working with four candidate vaccines: Soberana 01 and 02, Mambisa, and Adbala, all of which are in clinical trial, ranging from stage I to III. A relief for everyone, in February, we are talking in just a few days, Cuba aims to immunize all children from SARS-Cov-2 with the vaccination of Soberana 02.
All the vaccination process against Covid-19 will be totally free in the Caribbean island. As Vélez stated, “the strategy of Cuba in merchandising the vaccine has a mix of humanism and direct impact in the health care and the need of our health system to financially sustain the production of vaccines and medications for the country.”
António Guterres, head of the UN, said that behind those 2 million casualties there are names and faces, and the world must act with far greater solidarity. Likewise, he regretted the deadly impact of the pandemic has been made worse by “the absence of a global coordinated effort.”
Cuba shows once again that our achievements in the field of education, culture, or science, respond to the benefits of our citizens and foreign people. In Cuba, the Revolution embraces all.
Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff
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