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Havana, Cuba (CNN)The Cuban children sat successful a Havana infirmary watching a brightly painted clown execute his earsplitting act. They were not determination for the performance, but were waiting their crook to person 1 of Cuba's homegrown Covid vaccines.
In September, Cuba became the archetypal state successful the satellite to statesman the wide vaccination of kids arsenic young arsenic property 2 against Covid-19.
While the coronavirus vaccines aren't mandatory, parents and children person been filling clinics, hospitals and adjacent converted schools to get the changeable for their kids.
"I americium relieved," Laura Tijeras said conscionable minutes aft her 4-year-old girl Anisol got the archetypal dose of Cuba's home-grown Soberana, oregon Sovereign, vaccine. "A batch of radical are inactive getting sick and with the vaccine. We are much protected."
During a azygous time astatine a policlínico successful Havana, wherever CNN and different media were invited to movie the vaccinations, much than 230 children ages 3 to 5 were vaccinated, the clinic's head said.
To enactment kids astatine ease, doctors and nurses wore Mickey Mouse ears supra their uniforms and brought successful a clown with a talker strategy to execute for them astatine afloat volume.
Like adults receiving vaccinations, children successful Cuba volition necessitate 3 shots earlier they are considered afloat vaccinated.
With the accomplishment of the Delta variant successful Cuba, cases among children person skyrocketed.
"It's alarming the numbers of infections of the caller coronavirus that person occurred successful Cuba successful the past fewer months successful the pediatric population," wrote Cuban Health Minister Jose Portal Miranda successful an nonfiction connected the authorities Cubadebate website successful September.
"Many of the pediatric patients reported successful superior oregon captious information are newborns," helium wrote.
So acold during the pandemic astatine slightest 117,500 minors person been diagnosed with Covid successful Cuba, according to authoritative statistics. The authorities has not said however galore children person died successful Cuba during the pandemic. But since the opening of August, 10 minors, children and infants person been listed arsenic having died successful regular property briefings fixed by the Health Ministry.
The spike successful cases led Cuban officials to scrap plans to reopen schools successful aboriginal September. As location net entree remains an costly luxury for astir Cubans, children person their lessons by watching an acquisition transmission connected TV. Many Cuban parents kick that their children are being near down successful school, and with parks, movie theaters and beaches closed, determination is obscurity to instrumentality them.
In September officials said they would statesman vaccinating children arsenic portion of a program to person much than 90% of the land immunized and reopen planetary borders by mid-November. Officials said it is improbable that they could restart schools earlier then.
"It's not a information successful bid to be our acquisition institutions erstwhile classes renew to beryllium vaccinated," said Vice Minister of Education Eugenio González Pérez connected the Mesa Redonda TV program. "But we telephone connected the Cuban household to vaccinate their children. We person a vaccine that's 100% Cuban."
Cuba's cause regulator truthful acold has fixed support for exigency usage of 3 home-grown vaccines that Cuban scientists accidental are highly effectual astatine preventing superior unwellness and decease arsenic a effect of the coronavirus.
While critics person complained of the Cuban government's excessive secrecy concerning their program, past week Cuban scientists said they had begun to stock information with the World Health Organization to person support for their vaccines.
Cuban state-run vaccine producers initially expected to marque capable doses for the island's colonisation of 11.2 cardinal by September but aboriginal said that shortages -- they blamed connected the US commercialized embargo -- had caused them to autumn abbreviated of that goal.
In August, arsenic the pandemic raged retired of power successful respective provinces, Cuba for the archetypal clip began utilizing China's Sinopharm vaccine adjacent though it is Iess effectual than the immune effect Cuban scientists accidental their ain vaccines produce.
Some critics person said that if determination is simply a shortage of vaccines past Cuba should prioritize vaccinating astatine hazard populations similar the aged and radical with pre-existing conditions up of children.
But Cuban doctors carrying retired the vaccination run connected young children said the accrued risks faced by kids had to beryllium addressed immediately.
"It's much difficult, but it's gratifying to vaccinate a child," said Dr. Auroly Otaño Orteaga. "You enactment the vaccine and you cognize they are going to beryllium immunized and won't person superior complications oregon adjacent dice from Covid."
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