Drop in Havana COVID-19 cases boosts hopes Cuban vaccines working

Official data from Cuba indicate that COVID-19 infections have halved in Havana since authorities started administering the country's experimental vaccines in the capital a month ago, raising hopes about their efficacy even as cases increase nationwide, as reported in the National Post.

Cuba has five experimental shots in various stages of clinical trials, with two in late-stage testing already being administered en masse to the population in intervention studies, particularly in Havana.

"We need to continue as fast as possible (applying vaccine candidates) to see the impact together with the (prevention) measures…and to stop cases from continuing to rise," Cuba's top epidemiologist Francisco Duran said.

Around 4.5% of Cuba's inhabitants have received all three doses required for the country's two most advanced vaccine candidates, Abdala and Soberana 2, state-run media reported this week.

State-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma has talked about the potential for exporting the vaccines once the entire population is vaccinated.

Iran is even conducting its own late-stage trials of Soberana 2 and Cuban state-run media said this week it could announce its authorization for emergency use shortly.