The commercial and financial persecution against Cuban companies, counterparts and third parties is delaying the purchase of supplies needed to face the pandemic, the Cuban foreign minister said on his official Twitter account.

Recently, the Business Group of the Cuban Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries condemned on this platform the effects of Washington’s policy, which prevents the purchase of resources to guarantee medicines for the national health system.

The group mentioned, among other obstacles, the increase in the cost of materials essential for the development of vaccine candidates.

‘The usual suppliers refused to supply them for fear of the impact of the brutal blockade policy on their companies,’ it wrote.

According to a Cuban report on the damage caused by the blockade, between April 2019 and March 2020, the damage to this strategic economic sector amounted to 161 million dollars.

Despite this, Cuba has five Covid-19 vaccine candidates, two of which, Soberana 02 and Abdala, are in Phase 3 of clinical trials.

If the effectiveness of the vaccines is proven, and if they are approved by the regulatory entity, Cuba could have the first Covid-19 vaccines conceived and produced in Latin America.

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