Confirmed: Venezuela to Start COVID-19 Vaccination for Children Next Week (Cooperation with Cuba)

In Venezuela, children aged 12 years and older will start receiving COVID-19 vaccines from Monday, October 25. This was confirmed on Thursday, October 21, by President Nicolás Maduro.

At the end of a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba, Ricardo Cabrisas, President Maduro highlighted the benefits of a comprehensive cooperation program between the two countries that has been in effect since 2000. This agreement was originally an initiative of Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro.

“Face-to-face classes will begin on Monday,” informed President Maduro, “and we will simultaneously start vaccination of teenagers. We have the hope of starting vaccination of children over the age of 3 very soon.”

In September, immunization of children over the age of 2 began in Cuba. Thus, Cuba became the first country in the world to vaccinate its child population, as part of its ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuba has been able to advance its vaccination process by applying its Soberana 02 vaccine to children and young people aged 2 to 18 years.

Sostuve una importante reunión con la delegación cubana encabezada por el Viceprimer Ministro Ricardo Cabrisas. Revisamos las distintas áreas del Convenio de Cooperación Integral entre Cuba y Venezuela, que muy pronto cumplirá 21 años de hermandad y amistad inquebrantable. pic.twitter.com/W3ldb75Xmh
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) October 22, 2021

Local production and cooperation
President Maduro also reported that everything is ready for Venezuela to start producing the Cuban Abdala vaccine within the country in the coming months. “Arrangements have already been established to start production from January 2022,” he stated.

The president remarked that Venezuela has medicine and vaccine producing plants that boast world-class technology, thanks to investments made by Commander Hugo Chávez with a view to meeting the needs of the people in terms of medicine supply.

President Maduro explained that aspects related to quantity of vaccines and the dynamics of the production cycles are currently in the planning phase. However, he stressed that all this will be achieved through cooperation with the Cuban government. “By October 31, we must have reached our 70% COVID vaccination goal,” he added.

According to studies by the Cuban Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), which developed the Abdala vaccine, the jab has shown to have a 100% efficacy in preventing aggravation of symptoms leading to death. “In the coming days we are going to receive 16 million Abdala vaccines, between now and December,” informed President Maduro.

Featured image: A little girl gets Soberana 02 vaccine in Havana, Cuba. In Venezuela, children aged 12 years and above will start receiving COVID-19 vaccines from October 25, through the Cuba-Venezuela comprehensive agreement. Photo: AP

(RedRadioVE) by José Manuel Blanco Díaz

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/GMS/SC