Cuba Could be on the Brink of a Revolutionary COVID Vaccine, But US
Sanctions Are Slowing It Down
Cuba is already a medical powerhouse, and if it can successfully navigate
the minefield of US sanctions, it could supply much of Latin America with a
COVID vaccine.
by Alan Macleod
November 16th, 2020 Mint Press News
By Alan Macleod
Cuba has announced positive and promising results for a number of separate
COVID-19 vaccines it is currently developing, but U.S. sanctions against the
small island nation are hampering the development and rollout of the
potentially life-saving treatments.
Two candidates, named Sovereign 1 and Sovereign 2, have generated antibodies
blocking infection in animals and are showing similarly encouraging signs on
tests on human subjects. Meanwhile, a separate vaccine, based on a protein
from the hepatitis B virus, is unique in that it is delivered through the
nasal tract and does not require a needle to administer.
Should any of these efforts ultimately succeed, the Caribbean nation
already a medical powerhouse that has developed a lung cancer vaccine and
methods to stop mother-to-baby HIV and syphilis transmission will likely
become an important supplier to other Latin American and developing
countries who have been effectively shut out from purchasing COVID vaccines
from Western companies, as rich nations have already begun hoarding
coronavirus medicines.
Dr. Helen Yaffe of Glasgow University, author of We Are Cuba!: How a
Revolutionary People Have Survived in a Post-Soviet World, was impressed
and heartened by the news, telling MintPress:
Cuba now has four COVID-specific vaccine candidates under clinical trial.
The fact that a small Caribbean island can achieve such a remarkable feat is
testimony to its state-owned biotech sector, which is directed towards
public health demands and integrated into its healthcare and education
systems. After years of being told that only the market can lead to
efficiency and innovation, Cubas socialist planned economy demonstrates
what is possible when there is political will, good coordination,
organization and the priority of social welfare.
However, Cuban immunization developments are being seriously hamstrung by
the actions of the U.S. government, primarily due to the decades-long
blockade on the island, something which the Cuban government estimates has
cost it over 750 billion U.S. dollars.
Cuba is Testing Products Against Cancer, Alzheimers and Parkinsons Disease
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As Reuters reported, cash-strapped Cuba cannot afford to buy the raw
materials necessary to upscale its vaccine development to help other
countries. Hospitals face huge obstacles importing lifesaving equipment from
abroad due to the blockade, while the sanctions force the country, which
imports the large majority of its staples, to spend far more on food than
other nations. As a result, almost one third of young children suffer from
anemia due to the monotonous and sub-par nutrition available, according to
the World Food Program.
The blockade also forces Cuba to continually repair its crumbling
infrastructure and halt the importation of vehicles, even leading to a
return of horse-drawn carriages on the island. Food production is hampered;
with little petroleum available for agriculture, the country instead went
back to relying on human or animal labor. The blockade also led to the
forced development of a domestic pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector,
which has grown to become among the most advanced in the world.
Last November, the United Nations voted 187-3 in favor of ending the
blockade (with the U.S., Israel, and Brazil voting no). Almost two-thirds
of Americans support an end to the action as well. Despite this, the Trump
administration has, in fact, intensified the pressure on Cuba, as Yaffe
explained:
Cuba has been subject to an additional 46 sanctions and new measures to
tighten the blockade, to scare off foreign investors, to create scarcity, to
create difficulty for Cuba to access raw materials, including for its
biotech sector and for its pharmaceutical industry.
One example of this, Yaffe notes in her new documentary, Cuba and COVID-19:
Public Health, Science and Solidarity is that the island can no longer
purchase ventilators or parts for existing machines because the Swiss
company it dealt with was purchased by an American one and fearing potential
reprisals, it halted any contact with Havana.
A more positive, but nevertheless difficult, challenge the Cuban government
faces in testing its new vaccines is the lack of COVID-19 patients on the
island, which has the highest proportion of medical professionals per capita
anywhere in the world. To date, the country has recorded only 7,639 cases
and 131 deaths. U.S.-backed conservative neighbors such as Brazil, Ecuador,
and (until last week) Bolivia, that had expelled Cuban doctors working
inside their borders, have fared far worse.
Under Trump, the U.S. also led the world in the theft of medical equipment
and personal protective gear, confiscating shipments, and diverting supplies
away from other countries to keep for itself. And at the height of the
outbreak in Iran, the government was unable to buy or import lifesaving gear
due to American sanctions, as no nation was willing to risk the wrath of
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who threatened harsh sanctions on anyone
willing to do business with Iran. Finally, the World Health Organization
directly intervened, gifting Iran supplies, sparking the Trump
administration to leave the WHO among other reasons.
How Cuba is Leading the World in the Fight Against Coronavirus
As Cuba sends doctors around the world to fight coronavirus, a Cuban
antiviral drug is helping stem the tide of the outbreak.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Mar 16
The U.S., along with other wealthy nations, has also been quietly buying up
the majority of any future supply of vaccines, cornering the market, and
leaving little hope for developing nations to secure their own supply of
vaccines. The for-profit corporations conducting the research have made it
clear that they intend to withhold production secrets in order to cash in.
Furthermore, they do not have the capacity to immunize the entire world.
U.S./German company Pfizer, for example, predicts that it could supply
enough for only around 650 million people by the end of 2021. This is why
the development of treatments outside the for-profit model is so important.
Today, Pfizer announced that its own trial, featuring over 43,000 people in
six countries was a success, with a 90% immunization rate and only 94 people
contracting the virus from the vaccine. Massachusetts-based Moderna claims
that its vaccine is even more effective, with a 94% immunization rate, and
does not have to be stored at -80°C temperature like Pfizers offering.
The first country to announce a potential vaccine was Russia, however, the
government sharing the news in September, with researchers claiming Sputnik
V was 90% effective and that Russia could produce 500 million doses
annually. The Russian and American offerings appear to be based upon the
same scientific logic and have produced broadly similar results. However,
the Russian vaccine has been near-universally panned in the Western press,
while the American ones heralded as a historic achievement. Thus, Sky News
headline described Pfizers breakthrough as a great day for science and
humanity while casting doubt on the validity of Sputnik V, claiming the
Russians secretive approach is a throwback to its spirit in the Cold War.
Regardless if any or all of the treatments work, the world will need a
sustained and coordinated international effort to immunize itself against
COVID-19, as no one company can possibly supply the entire planet. By
continuing the blockade against Cuba, the U.S. government might be
condemning much of the world to living months longer under a deadly pandemic
that has claimed the lives of over 1.32 million people.
