Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/3/venezuela-to-begin-clinical-trials-of-cuba-vaccine-candidate
Venezuela will begin clinical trials for Cuba’s vaccine candidate with the long term goal of producing enough vaccines to eventually vaccinate four million people. The vaccine candidate is named Abdala after a poem written by Jose Martin, who is considered a Cuban national hero for his work towards Cuban independence.
The large-scale vaccine trials are slated to end in July, with preliminary trial results to be published in August. If the trials are successful, Venezuela plans to produce the vaccine on a large scale. Once the country begins inoculating its citizens, vaccine rollout will prioritize health care workers and members of high-risk groups.
This specific covid vaccine consists of three shots to achieve maximum protection. This could make the vaccine rollout more complicated, because it causes the need for a tracking system and follow-up appointments for all patients.
Venezuela has been offered 2.4 million Astrazeneca vaccines from COVAX, but the country declined the offer due to the rare cases of blood clots associated with the vaccine. COVAX is dedicated to ensuring equitable covid-19 vaccine access, and it is overseen in part by the World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations. There has been some confusion at Venezuela’s refusal because the country is in desperate need of covid vaccines, and the blood clot cases connected to Astrazeneca were rare.
It’s likely that running clinical trials for Cuba’s candidate is more than a show of good faith to Cuba; Venezuela is trying to secure their own supply of a covid vaccine.
It is clear globally that the vaccine has been more accessible in wealthier, more affluent nations. In the US, for example, everyone 16 and older is eligible for vaccination, and a large portion of the population has already received both doses. However, in poorer countries, there is an extreme vaccine shortage, if any is available at all.