Vaccines and Public Trust: Containing COVID-19 in Cuba.

Abstract

As 2021 drew to a close, Cuba struggled to contain the highly transmissible omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, braced for a new wave of infections and kept a close eye on other variants of concern popping up around the world-a common experience to countries everywhere as we head into the second year of the pandemic. In Cuba, however, there is one marked difference making all the difference: by early January, 87% of the population was fully vaccinated using a three-dose schedule of vaccines developed and produced on the island.[1] This massive vaccination campaign is complemented by a rapid booster rollout-also using Cuban vaccines-that began in December 2021 and was ongoing as we finalized this issue. The island nation was able to achieve the third highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the world[2] after decades of scientific investment, research, discovery and innovation; regulatory oversight and compliance; professional training; and increased production capacity. But a vaccine is only as effective as the health system charged with administering it-in a safe and timely manner, to as many people as possible. Here too, Cuba has decades of experience, including a national pediatric immunization program where 98% of children under 5 are immunized against 13 diseases,[3] an annual polio vaccination campaign (both launched in 1962 and uninterrupted since) and campaigns to contain epidemics such as H1N1. When the first COVID-19 cases were detected on the island in March 2020, Cuba harnessed this vaccine experience, making a hard tack towards developing its own vaccines. Two of the main protagonists in the country's biotechnology development, the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV) and the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center (CIGB), both with several groundbreaking preventive and therapeutic vaccines in their portfolios, led the search for a vaccine. Today, Cuba has three vaccines authorized for emergency use-Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus developed by IFV, and Abdala, developed by CIGB. Schedules with these vaccines have demonstrated more than 90% efficacy in clinical trials,[4] and after regulatory approval for emergency use, became the backbone of Cuban COVID-19 vaccination efforts. A fourth vaccine, Mambisa (CIGB), administered nasally, and a fifth, Soberana 01 (IFV) are still in clinical trials. For this installment in MEDICC Review's series spotlighting leading women of Cuban science, we sat down with Dr Verena Muzio, Director of Clinical Research at CIGB. A pioneer of Cuba's biotechnology sector, she is an immunologist with a doctorate in biological sciences. Her professional trajectory began researching the genetically engineered hepatitis B surface antigen that led to the development of Cuba's recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in 1989. The same technological platform used in this vaccine was used to develop CIGB's Abdala vaccine against SARS-CoV-2-part of the reason Cuba was able to secure a vaccine so quickly. A phase 3 clinical trial determined a 92.28% efficacy rate for Abdala, with results to appear in forthcoming publications.