Intervention study of Soberana 02 vaccine candidate moves forward

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 7 (ACN) With the application of the first dose to 30 distinguished doctors and professors of the National School of Public Health and the National Council of Scientific Societies, the intervention study of the anti-COVID-19 Soberana 02 vaccine candidate continued on Tuesday at the Heroes del Moncada polyclinic, located in the capital's Plaza de la Revolución municipality.

This week, health professionals from other nearby institutions, such as the Provincial Blood Bank, the Electromedicine Center and Prosalud will also be immunized, Dr. Marta Beatriz Díaz Dehesa, director of that vaccination center, explained to the Cuban News Agency.

The specialist also explained that 100 people are vaccinated daily in her assistance unit, with all the clinical parameters required for this type of study: interview, blood pressure, physical examination and observation for one hour after the dose is administered.

This is one more achievement of our country's policies and evidence that Cuba is a country of men of science, said Dr. Pastor Castell-Florit Serrate, director of the National School of Public Health and one of the beneficiaries of the first injection of Soberana 02.

He said that during the confrontation with COVID-19 a meritorious scientific work has been carried out, which includes medical offices, polyclinics and medical students.

According to the professor and member of the scientific group for the fight against the new coronavirus, Dr. María Vidal Ledo, also inoculated with the Cuban drug, the nation is making an important effort for the immunization of all its citizens, but the sanitary protection measures must be maintained to continue with the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The Héroes del Moncada polyclinic began last Monday with the second stage of the Phase III clinical studies of Soberana 02, a process in which 1,886 patients from the community are involved and which will later be extended to all the inhabitants of that area between the ages of 19 and 80 years old, said Díaz Dehesa.

Cuba has five anti-COVID-19 vaccine candidates (Soberana 01, Soberana 02, Soberana Plus, Abdala and Mambisa), two of them, Soberana 02 (in Havana) and Abdala (in Santiago de Cuba, Granma and Guantánamo), are undergoing Phase III clinical trials, in addition to the aforementioned controlled intervention study.