Cuba will have the required doses of its most effective Covid-19 vaccine to immunize its entire population in August, the president of BioCubaFarma, Eduardo Martinez, confirmed on Wednesday.

In an interview with Granma newspaper, the head of the business group of Biotechnological and Pharmaceutical Industries (BioCubaFarma), said that the production systems for each vaccine are specific to them, they do not compete with each other, and the capacities they have are significant.

‘By August at the latest, we will have produced the doses required to immunize our entire population, and then we will continue producing them, in order to supply other friendly countries,’ he said.

He pointed out that Cuba’s strategy to conceive Covid-19 vaccines is fundamentally based on the country’s biotechnological experience and the platforms developed by the scientific pole for more than 30 years.

He also highlighted Cuba’s development in research and production of vaccines against other diseases.

Besides, ‘the strength of the national public health system, the availability of experienced scientists and technologists and the unity and integration that have characterized the whole process is also necessary,’ he said.

The strategy to reach five candidates had, as an initial step, the call to the institutions that have long experience in the production of vaccines, mainly the Finlay Vaccine Institute, leader of Soberana 01, Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus; and the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center (CIGB), developer of Mambisa and Abdala.

Martinez emphasized that the integration of all the systems has been fundamental in the rapid achievement of such important results, despite the United States economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba and the refusal of several international suppliers to provide materials and equipment.