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Cuba begins trials of the Mambisa intranasal vaccine as a booster of a dose

Posted: Nov 21, 2021 02:54 GMT

At the moment, the country has 3 registered vaccines —Soberana 02, Soberana Plus and Abdala—, with which it has vaccinated 80.4% of its population.

The Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices of Cuba approved the start of the trials of the vaccine candidate Mambisa as a booster dose for immunization against covid-19, reported this Saturday the developer of the drug, Engineering Center Genetics and Biotechnology of Cuba (CIBG).

As explained by the center on its Twitter account, the vaccine will be tested “in previously vaccinated subjects, where its effect and safety will be evaluated.”

The particularity of Mambisa

The development of Mambisa was announced at the beginning of last November. It focuses on immunization through the nasal route because the virus causes respiratory pathologies and its spread is carried out through the nasal epithelial cells, which they are the gateway for infection and initial transmission. Nasal immunization favors the development of a local response in order to prevent the contracting of the disease, the colonization of the virus and the transmission of the pathogen. However, it also has another formulation suitable for intramuscular injection.

Mambisa and Abdala, the two new Cuban vaccines against the coronavirus that will begin their trials shortly

Mambisa is not the first intranasal vaccine developed in Cuba. The country’s health authorities already registered one against hepatitis B in 2015, which is applied in the same way.

Mass vaccination in Cuba

As for other vaccines against covid-19, for now on the island they have been certified and three produced in the country are widely applied: Soberana 02, Soberana Plus and Abdala. According to the latest data from the Cuban Ministry of Health, 8,991,195 people have already been fully vaccinated with them, 80.4% of the island’s population.

As a result of this vaccination campaign, the country currently has fewer than 300 daily infections and about 1,400 active cases of coronavirus. As for those killed by the pandemic, this Saturday 3 new deaths were reported.

Also, this Monday Cuba announced the lifting of several pandemic restrictions. In particular, face-to-face classes were restarted and borders were reopened, giving hope for the reestablishment of tourism, a crucial industry for the island.

About the author

Donna Miller

Donna is one of the oldest contributors of Gruntstuff and she has a unique perspective with regards to Science which makes her write news from the Science field. She aims to empower the readers with the delivery of apt factual analysis of various news pieces from Science. Donna has 3.5 years of experience in news-based content creation, and she is now an expert at it. She loves journalism, and that is the reason, she moved from a web content writer to a News writer, and she is loving it. She is a fun-loving woman who has very good connections with every team member. She makes the working environment cheerful which improves the team’s work productivity.

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