Report: Possible Vaccine Breakthrough in Cuba

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cuba hopes this is what the payoff looks like to a big gamble. When many other developing countries have competed with richer nations to import vaccines against the coronavirus, Cuba has been making its own vaccine. In March, two out of four potential vaccine candidates made in Cuba will begin their third and final trials. If the trials are successful, Cuba will be the first vaccines developed in Latin America.

DAGMAR GARCIA RIVERA, CUBAN SCIENTIST: The main objective of this clinical trial is to show the clinical efficacy of our vaccine candidate. After that, we could be in condition for start a massive immunization in Cuba or in another some countries of the world.

OPPMANN (on camera): You believe that everybody in Cuba, the 11 million people who live here, could be vaccinated by the end of this year?

RIVERA: Yes.

OPPMANN (voice-over): While Cuba is only now just beginning to vaccinate people on a large scale as part of the third trial, Cuban scientists tell CNN they have already produced more than 300,000 doses of Sovereign 2, one of their vaccine candidates, and could eventually make millions more doses each month. (on camera): The pandemic has all but destroyed Cuba’s economy. Beaches that usually would be full of tourists are now empty. The vaccine, though, could help change Cuba’s fortunes, as researchers here say they can produce enough to sell overseas and even market vaccination vacations, offering the vaccine to tourists as a way to restart the Cuban tourism industry. (voice-over): It may seem unbelievable that a poor island, where there are shortages of food and basic medicines like painkillers and antibiotics, can create a cutting-edge vaccine. But Cuba has produced its own vaccines going back decades. Cuban scientists say the same U.S. sanctions that isolated the island forced Cuba becomes a biomedical pioneer. Cuba has been following established protocols and providing updates on their vaccine development, international observers say. “This is very good news, and we are following these results carefully,” he said, “first because the Cuban population will directly benefit from their vaccine candidates. And this at some point could control the transmission in the country.” Cuban scientists say the island likely could not afford to import vaccines from abroad and pursued multiple vaccine candidates in case some did not pass the trials. If Cuba ends up with more than one working vaccine, it could allow doctors a greater arsenal to wipe out the coronavirus here.

TANIA CROMBET, CUBAN SCIENTIST: I also think that, at the end, we might be able to implement what we call prime and boost, which is using some vaccines for the first doses, and then bolstering or re-immunizing with a second vaccine candidate in order to enhance the previous immune response.

OPPMANN: Iran is carrying out large-scale trials with Cuban vaccines. And Mexico is expected to begin trials. As the world struggles with vaccine shortages, other countries may be calling soon.