Cuban scientists from the Finlay Institute of Vaccines make working visit to Italy
A delegation from Cuba’s Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV), headed by its president, Dr. Vicente Vérez Bencomo, traveled on a working visit to Italy, where it will carry out a program of activities until March 12, 2022.
During their stay in that European country, the experts will hold meetings with scientific and health authorities on Cuban vaccines against covirus 19 and other scientific advances on the island.
The visit is supported by the Agency for Cultural and Economic Exchange with Cuba (Aicec), an organization recognized for its solidarity with Cuba and the promotion of its relations with Italy in different fields.
The Cuban scientists will begin their tour in the city of Turin, where they will present, together with their Italian colleagues, the results of the “Soberana Plus” clinical study, carried out in collaboration with the “Amedeo di Savoia” hospital with the approval of the Ethical Committee of the Piedmont Region.
The program of the visit also includes meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Health and other entities to present the Cuban strategy in the biotechnological and health sector and, in particular, the development of its own vaccines against various diseases, including the contagious disease caused by Sars-Cov-2.
Cuba leads in the rate of vaccination against Covid-19 per 100 inhabitants, while it ranks third in the number of people with at least one dose administered and in the proportion of people with the complete vaccination protocol.
In addition, Cuba is the only country with 97 percent of its infants vaccinated, starting at two years of age.
Cuba and the pandemic
Cuba continued to reduce the number of people infected with Covid-19 during the last week, while mass immunization of the population continues as the main strategy to control the disease.
In the last seven days, the number of infections dropped from 4,002 cases to 3,569, as well as the number of deaths due to the disease, which dropped from seven to six.
The highest number of daily cases was reported alternately in the provinces of Holguin, in the east; Sancti Spiritus, in the center, and Matanzas, in the west.
So far, 9.8 million of the 11.2 million Cubans have been vaccinated in the country, through the application of the corresponding three doses of vaccines against Covid-19, while at the same time 6 million have received booster doses.
Immunization is carried out with the Abdala, Soberana-02 and Soberana Plus vaccines, three of the five vaccines developed in Cuba.
