Over four million Cuban children vaccinated with Abdala vaccine

Havana, Feb 13 (Prensa Latina) More than four million doses of the Covid-19 Abdala (CIGB-66) vaccine, the first such immunizer conceived and produced in Latin America, have been so far administrated to children and adolescents in Cuba and Nicaragua.

February 13, 2022
14:26

The vaccine, developed by Cuba’s Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), was authorized in Havana on October 27, 2021, for emergency use in the pediatric population aged 2-11.

The results of a clinical study recently confirmed that it induces high anti-RBD IgG antibodies titers and has a neutralizing effect against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes Covid-19.

The trials showed a rise in antibody titers of 99.15 percent in children aged 3-11, while in minors aged 12-18, the percentage reached 92.28 percent.

The CIGB reported in January that it is working on a clinical study with the Abdala (CIGB-66) vaccine in children under two years of age, given the threat the disease poses to that population group.

Two years is the minimum age to receive any of Cuba’s homegrown vaccines against Covid-19, and if the efficacy of the vaccine is validated in younger children, it would be an unprecedented result in the fight against the disease globally.

In early September 2021, the Cuban regulating institution approved that the Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus vaccines, developed by the Finlay Vaccines Institute (IFV), can be used in children aged 2-11.

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