As the Sweden authorities have almost rejected the decision, and the report said the US is already deciding to approve it, the Chinese have started, but the Cubans have already vaccinated almost all young children against COVID-19.
Cuba is the only country vaccinating children as young as two against the contagious mutants, and over 95% of 2-18 years old have now been completely vaccinated, as stated by the ministry of public health.
As per the statement released by the lead developer of Abdala (one of the homegrown vaccines of Cuba), Dr Gerardo Guillen, “COVID-19 hits children less severely. They are an important factor in transmission.”
He further added that child vaccines, which are considered the world’s highest Covid-19 vaccination rates and high herd immunity after a peak of Delta variant during last summer, have played a key role in lowering the infection rates in Cuba compared to the US and Europe during the Omicron wave.
According to several reports, Cuban trust their country’s vaccines and vaccinating young children is widely seen as a common sense.
“Children are vaccinated at the time when they are born,” said Ania Ramirez, 33, while collecting her fully vaccinated son, Fabio, age five, from school. “If he’s already got all other vaccines, why wouldn’t I put this in him?”
As per experts, there are benefits to vaccinating young children, but concern remains.
According to former regional immunization programme director at the Pan American Health Organisation and professor of public health at George Washington University, Dr Jon K Andrus said, “while Cuban scientists make good quality of vaccines, he was wary of seeing children vaccinated before he had information.
Meanwhile, Cuban scientists say that phase I and phase II trials of Soberana 2 and Soberana Plus vaccines in 350 children aged between 3 and 18 found no severe side effects. Health officials further added that all trial data would be sent to the World Health Organization in the coming weeks as they are requesting over export approvals.
