Cuba has approved its own corona vaccine Abdala for use through an emergency procedure. The drug has an effect of more than 92 percent after three injections, the medical authorities announced earlier.
However, this has not been confirmed by independent research.
Abdala is the first coronavirus vaccine developed and approved in Latin America. “A light at the end of the tunnel of this long race against the pandemic,” tweeted President Miguel Diaz-Canel of the communist-ruled country.
Cuba has other vaccines in the pipeline, including Soberana 02. That would have an effectiveness of 62 percent after two out of three doses. So this drug should soon be given the green light.
The Cuban government aims to have 70 percent of its 11.2 million population vaccinated by August and the whole population by the end of this year.