MINSK, 28 July (BelTA) – On 28 July the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament, hosted a delegation of the Center for the State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (CECMED) of the Republic of Cuba and the Finlay Institute of Vaccines led by Vicente Vérez Bencomo, developer of Cuba's COVID-19 vaccine, Director of the Finlay Institute of Vaccines, member of the National Assembly of People's Power, Hero of Cuba, BelTA has learned.
The parties discussed cooperation prospects in healthcare, in particular, the possibility to use Cuban COVID-19 vaccines SOBERANA and SOBERANA PLUS in Belarus.
“We have experience of vaccine delivery to children, so it was easy for us to vaccinate children against COVID-19. We are the first country in the world to vaccinate all children. All Cuban children were vaccinated before the start of the academic year. Our vaccination effort was quite successful and the omicron wave was very weak,” Vicente Vérez Bencomo said.
He recalled that Cuba's COVID-19 vaccine SOBERANA PLUS produced by the Finlay Institute of Vaccines was registered in Belarus on 27 July. “We are very proud of this and are ready to share our achievements with Belarus,” the MP noted.
The Cuban guest spoke highly of the level of Belarusian healthcare. “Yesterday we visited the Mother and Child Center. I was truly impressed by what I saw,” he added.
There are plans to discuss the licensing of Belarusian medicines in Cuba and a possibility to sell them in the markets of Latin America. The parties also discussed political contacts and joint efforts to stand up against pressure and interference of the USA and its satellites in the internal affairs of Belarus and Cuba.
The Cuban delegation has been on a visit to the Republic of Belarus since 24 July. They have already visited a number of pharmaceutical companies and healthcare facilities to discuss cooperation prospects in the production and use of medical products, including those to combat COVID-19.
