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ISSN 1527-3172 (Electronic)

2022, Number 1

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MEDICC Review 2022; 24 (1)

Vaccines and public trust: containing COVID-19 in Cuba

Gorry C

Language: English
References: 4
Page: 9-13
PDF size: 244.53 Kb.


Text Extraction

As 2021 drew to a close, Cuba struggled to contain the highly transmissible omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, braced for a new wave of infections and kept a close eye on other variants of concern popping up around the world—a common experience to countries everywhere as we head into the second year of the pandemic. In Cuba, however, there is one marked diff erence making all the diff erence: by early January, 87% of the population was fully vaccinated using a three-dose schedule of vaccines developed and produced on the island. This massive vaccination campaign is complemented by a rapid booster rollout—also using Cuban vaccines—that began in December 2021 and was ongoing as we fi nalized this issue.
The island nation was able to achieve the third highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the world after decades of scientifi c investment, research, discovery and innovation; regulatory oversight and compliance; professional training; and increased production capacity. But a vaccine is only as eff ective as the health system charged with administering it— in a safe and timely manner, to as many people as possible. Here too, Cuba has decades of experience, including a national pediatric immunization program where 98% of children under 5 are immunized against 13 diseases,[3] an annual polio vaccination campaign (both launched in 1962 and uninterrupted since) and campaigns to contain epidemics such as H1N1.


REFERENCES

  1. Ministry of Public Health (CU) [Internet]. Havana: Ministry of Public Health(CU); c2022. Candidatos Vacunales Cubanos. Actualización de la estrategiapara el desarrollo de las vacunas cubanas (CU); 2022 Jan 11 [cited 2022 Jan13]; [about 1 p.]. Available at: https://salud.msp.gob.cu/actualizacion-de-la-vacunacion-en-el-marco-de-los-estudios-de-los-candidatos-vacunales-cubanos-y-la-intervencion-sanitaria/?doing_wp_cron=1642094481.4066569805145263671875. Spanish.

  2. Our World in Data [Internet]. Oxford: University of Oxford, Global Change DataLab; c2022. Statistics and Research. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations.Share of people vaccinated against COVID-19, Jan 12, 2022; 2022 Jan 12[cited 2022 Jan 13]; [about 1 p.]. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

  3. National Health Statistics and Medical Records Division (CU). Anuario Estadísticode Salud 2020. Havana: Ministry of Public Health (CU); 2021. p. 112. Spanish.

  4. Reardon S. Cuba’s bet on home-grown COVID vaccines is paying off . Nature[Internet]. 2021 Dec [cited 2022 Jan 13];600(7887):15–6. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03470-x




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