Although Cuba is "sovereign" in the development of its own vaccines, as the name of one of them suggests, this is not the case in terms of equipment and components, which must be imported. Added to the aforementioned problems, as always occurs in Cuba, is the burden of the US embargo, which limits the opportunities to acquire machinery and supplies. In addition, Washington's threats to international banks make financial transactions with the island complex and costly maneuvers. As a result, Cuba will initially have to focus on producing enough vaccine for its own population.
Export options are also expected to be negotiated, preferably with pre-financing. Another option is to sell licenses to countries like Argentina or Vietnam, which have their own production capacities. In the past, the WHO has already purchased Cuban vaccines for vaccination campaigns in countries of the global South and could do so again in the current Whatsapp Mobile Number List medium term, protein-based vaccines, such as the Cuban ones, are also suitable as booster shots. By the way, as a gesture of solidarity, there was a first delivery of 30,000 doses from Abdala to his ally Venezuela, whose oil deliveries to Cuba have decreased, but are still essential to supply the island. Another 12 million doses have been promised, but without specifying the delivery date.
As important as these prospects are, Cuban vaccines can overcome the country's health crisis, but not the economic one. This remains the task of a reform agenda that should aim to revive the entire economy and not rely on the biotech sector to become the goose that lays the golden eggs. And even when they are an achievement of the health system, vaccines cannot be the ones that respond to the long-accumulated crisis of political confidence that is becoming evident in the streets these days.