After three doses, Cuba’s Abdala coronavirus candidate vaccine demonstrated “efficacy” of more than 92 percent, according to the manufacturer, albeit it did not clarify whether this was tested against infection, illness, or death.
Cuba is developing five coronavirus vaccines and began immunizing its citizens with two of them last month, pending the completion of clinical trials.
The BioCubaFarma laboratory tweeted on Monday that Abdala, one of the two drugs now in use, “showing efficacy of 92.28 percent in its three-dose scheme.”
For coronavirus vaccinations to provide protection against the virus or disease, the World Health Organization has set a 50% effectiveness criterion.
The statement came two days after authorities declared that the first two shots of Soberana 2, the other three-dose shot being developed in Cuba, were 62 percent effective.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba hailed the announcement as a victory that would “multiply pride” in the communist island nation.
Cuba had been mostly unaffected by the outbreak, but has recently seen a dramatic surge in cases, with 1,561 confirmed infections in 24 hours on Monday being one of its worst days. There have been about 169,000 cases and 1,170 deaths so far.
Cuba has a lengthy history of producing its own vaccines, extending back to the 1980s, despite American sanctions.
It produces over 80% of its vaccines in-house, and it aspires to develop the first domestically made coronavirus vaccine in Latin America.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
