Cuba has a lot to contribute in the debates that the UN promotes on universal vaccination against Covid-19. In the midst of growing tensions in the world, the challenge of completing complete vaccination schedules for the entire population, regardless of their geographical location, is immense.
The least developed countries are at a distinct disadvantage. And there are no effective mechanisms in sight to guarantee total coverage in the face of a pandemic that has not subsided, despite the return to relative normality in many nations.
And in this complex scenario, Cuba, with its three vaccines and two vaccine candidates against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, is at the forefront of the world in the process of immunizing the population.
It is significant that a poor country has achieved it, and subjected to strong economic sanctions from the United States.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, nine million 871 thousand 746 people have the complete vaccination scheme (with the Cuban immunogens Soberana 02, Soberana Plus and Abdala), which represents 89.1 percent of the population.
The Prensa Latina agency recalls that until last Monday 10 million 601 thousand 59 individuals had received at least one dose, of which nine million 368 thousand 759 already have a second dose, and a third, nine million 46 thousand 835.
In addition, five million 867 thousand 673 citizens have booster vaccination against the pandemic.
In total, 34 million 884 thousand 614 doses of the nationally developed immunogens were administered in the Caribbean country.
The incidence of Covid-19 remains under control and the lethality is below the averages for Latin America and the world.
Vaccination cannot be the privilege of some countries in the face of the impossibility of others. The challenge is global. Given the impact of the pandemic, the response must be coordinated and equitable. That has always been Cuba’s position.