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Cuba uses domestically produced vaccines and is one of the first countries to start vaccinating very young children.
Two-year-old Lucia sat on her mother’s lap and looked at the illustrations in the book. The children around her looked surprised at the doctor in the white coat and the nurse with the thermometer.
In the next room, a clown tried to distract him. Danilito, also two years old, sniffed when he was shot.
On Thursday, Cuba began a mass vaccination campaign for children between the ages of 2 and 10, becoming one of the first countries to do so. The country’s health officials said that Cuba’s indigenous vaccines are safe for young children.
“Our country will not release [infants] Aurolis Otano, director of the University of Vedado Polyclinic Clinic, told The Associated Press in the vaccination room that if the vaccine is not proven to be effective, the risk is even when the vaccine is administered to children. Very small.
Otano said that the spread of the Delta variant caused the youngest infection rate to increase, so the Cuban scientific community decided to “use the vaccine in clinical trials” and was approved for use in children.
The polyclinic is expected to vaccinate approximately 300 children between 2 and 5 years of age. Children between 5 and 10 years old are receiving their first shots at school.
Lucia’s mother Denisse Gonzalez (Denisse Gonzalez) watched the children in the vaccination room while waiting for the time her daughter must be observed after being vaccinated.
“At first I was very skeptical and worried, really, but I told myself,” she said.
“The health of our children comes first. This is the most important and the most important. [contagion] It’s a risk, because young children always play on the floor,” added 36-year-old engineer Gonzalez.
In the first few weeks, Cubans between the ages of 11 and 18 have started vaccinating. The plan includes two doses of Soberana 02 vaccine and one dose of Soberana Plus, the same as adults.
Children also face “significant risks”
Cuba is facing a continuing COVID-19 outbreak that has almost collapsed its healthcare system.
The provinces of Matanzas, Ciego de Avila and Cienfuegos have received support from doctors from other parts of the country and even international donors.
In addition to Soberanas, Cuba has also developed another national vaccine, Abdala. According to the Cuban Ministry of Health, 776,125 positive cases of COVID-19 have been registered, of which 6,601 have died.
In June, Chinese regulators approved the use of Coxinghe Sinopharm’s vaccine for children aged 3 to 17. The United States and many European countries currently allow children 12 years and older to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Parents wait for their children to receive the Soberana-02 COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Havana, Cuba [File: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo]Children have largely escaped the worst effects of the pandemic and show milder symptoms when infected with the virus. But experts say that children can spread the virus to others and suffer negative consequences.
Carissa F Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, said: “As more and more adults are vaccinated against COVID-19, in most countries/regions, children who are not eligible for vaccination have a higher rate of hospitalization or even death.”
“We must be clear: children and young people also face major risks.”
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