Cuba promotes Covid-19 vaccination strategy for infants

Havana, May 3 (Prensa Latina) The Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) is currently working on an immunization strategy against Covid-19 in children under two years of age with the Abdala (CIGB-66) vaccine, Verena Mucio, director of clinical research, said.

May 3, 2022
07:39

With this immunizer, Mucio confirmed, a plan is drawn up for the first 1,000 days of infants’ life, that is, from the moment they are conceived until they have reached two years of age (24 months).

Now, we are focusing on a clinical study in pregnant women vaccinated with Abdala (CIGB-66), and we are seeing the results in them, but also when the child is born from the point of view of the safety, development and the immune response received from the mother by a passive transfer of antibodies, she said.

The doctor added that an investigation in infants between six and 11 months of age is being done to assess the safety, immunogenicity and effect of the vaccine in this population.

Mucio added that the latter is currently subjected to an assessment by the Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices for its use in Havana.

Abdala (CIGB-66), which has received approval from Cuba’s regulatory authority for emergency use in children over two years of age since October 2021, showed an efficacy of 92.28 percent in a Phase III trial to prevent the symptomatic disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.

pgh/iff/acl/ifs