Foreign Affairs Minister EP Chet Greene said he is looking forward to the fulfillment of a promise by the president of Cuba to supply Antigua and Barbuda and other countries with a vaccine — developed and manufactured in Cuba — to aid in the national fight against Covid-19.
Cuba has been developing a few Covid vaccines, but the one it’s exporting first is called Abdala. The country has started selling the shot though it has not yet been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Greene said on Monday that Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel made the offer during a recent meeting in Mexico.
Greene was speaking during a brief meeting with Cuba’s Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda Maria Esther Fiffe, who returned to the country on Monday after a three-month stay in Cuba.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also heaped praise on health officials in Cuba for their successful management of the pandemic through vaccination. He said, based on reports coming out of that country, the vaccination programme is working effectively.
“Zero deaths over the last two days and a reduction in active cases. The vaccine seems to be working wonders in terms of its efficacy. I want to extend congratulations to them on the management of the pandemic,” Greene said.
He said the Cuban people are known to be very resilient and he is confident that, like Antigua and Barbuda, the country will be able to overcome the challenges.