Cuba is the first country in the world to vaccinate children from the age of two against the coronavirus. This mostly with their own vaccines such as Soberana or Abdala.
Havana – Vaccinations are taking place all over the world to fight Corona. Last Thursday (September 16, 2021), Cuba was the first country to start a massive vaccination campaign for children between the ages of two and ten years. The children receive the corona vaccines Abdala and Soberana, which were developed in Cuba and whose effectiveness is said to be more than 90 percent. However, the study results have not yet been independently verified. Health officials in the country say the vaccines grown in the country are safe for young children.
“Our country would not expose [children] to even minimal risk if the vaccines are not proven to be safe and highly effective when given to children,” Aurolis Otano, director of Vedado Polyclinic University, told the Associated Press. The spread of the Delta variant has led to an increase in infections among the youngest, which is why the Cuban scientific community has decided to “bring the vaccines into clinical testing”. They were then also approved for children.
Corona: Cuba vaccinates young children to prevent the virus from spreading
In the past few weeks, Cubans between the ages of 11 and 18 have been vaccinated. The vaccination schedule consists of two doses of the Soberana 02 vaccine and one dose of Soberana Plus as it was done in adults. Now the polyclinic expects to vaccinate around 300 children between the ages of two and five. Children between the ages of five and ten should have their first chance at their schools.
“I was very skeptical and concerned at first, but I did some research myself,” said Denisse Gonzalez, a mother of a two-year-old girl. “The health of our children comes first, that is the main thing and [contagion] is a risk because little children are always playing on the floor.”
Corona in Cuba: Virus almost triggered the collapse of the health system
Cuba is facing an ongoing Covid-19 outbreak that nearly collapsed its healthcare system. Provinces such as Matanzas, Ciego de Avila and Cienfuegos have received support from doctors from other parts of the country and even from international donors. In addition to the Soberanas, Cuba has developed another national vaccine, Abdala. According to the Cuban Ministry of Health, 776,125 positive cases of Covid-19 have been registered with 6601 deaths.
In June, Chinese authorities approved the use of Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines for children aged three to 17 years. The USA and many European countries currently allow corona vaccinations for children from the age of twelve. This year, however, a vaccination for children between the ages of five and eleven should come on the market in Germany.
Covid vaccination for children: “Children and adolescents are also exposed to considerable risks”
“The more adults receive their corona vaccines, the more children who are not yet eligible for vaccinations in most countries are responsible for a higher percentage of hospitalizations and even deaths,” said Carissa F. Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization . “We have to be clear about this: Children and young people are also exposed to considerable risks.” (Yasemin Kamisli)
