Cuban president praises progress of Abdala vaccine against Covid-19

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Cuba

Science and Technology

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19 March 2021

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Havana, Mar 19 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday celebrated the advance to phase III of clinical trials on the Abdala vaccine candidate against Covid-19, developed by the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center (CIGB).

On his official Twitter account, the president wrote, 'Abdala to phase three!' He assured that this was after rigorous analysis by the Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices.

Following the decision announced on Thursday, the final study to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug will be carried out in the eastern provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo, where '48,000 volunteers will be putting their shoulder' for the country, he said. In another tweet, Diaz-Canel highlighted how Abdala 'joins the vanguard, bringing us closer to Cuba's immunization', and remarked the imprint of the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, and National Hero Jose Marti in such an event.

Since March 8, phase III of clinical trials on the first Latin American vaccine candidate against Covid-19, Soberana 02, began in Havana.

This project, which is being developed by the Finlay Vaccine Institute and is the most advanced of five Cuban vaccines, includes the participation of 44,000 volunteers in eight municipalities of Havana.