Officials: Cuban vaccine efficacy sparks interest

This week's announcement of the high efficacy of Cuba's COVID-19 vaccine sparked international interest, health officials said on Thursday. Health authorities reassured that both vaccine candidates Abdala and Soberana 02, exceeds the international requirements to protect against the new coronavirus.

There was a "hive of exchange, of emails from many counterparts," said Eulogio Pimentel, vice-president of BioCubaFarma, the state company that markets the medicines on the island. He did not detail the countries that have made requests, but in recent days Argentina, Iran and Vietnam said they were aware of the development of the antigens.

The expectation came after the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology reported Abdala's protection percentage, and the Finlay Institute announced that the Soberana 02 would have a minimum of 62%. Officials also stated that Venezuela received a donation of 30,000 doses of Abdala on Thursday as part of a trade agreement with Caracas. Both vaccines are expected to obtain an emergency clearance and be finally certified by the World Health Organization. The certification process will begin in the next few days.