Established in 1986, the CIGB is a leading biotechnology centre of Cuba. It has successfully researched and produced five types of vaccines against COVID-19, including Abdala, making Cuba the first and only Latin American-Caribbean country to research and produce its own COVID-19 vaccines.
According to Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan, during the President's visit, the health ministries of Vietnam and Cuba have reached agreements on eight cooperation contents in research, training, technology transfer and production of medicines.
At the CIGB, President Phuc witnessed the signing of an agreement between the CIGB and the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (POLYVAC) under the Vietnamese Ministry of Health on purchasing 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Cuba. Businesses of both sides also signed deals on the transfer of Soberana 2 COVID-19 vaccine.
He expressed his hope that health care partnership between the two countries will continue to grow effectively to match the sound relations between the two sides.
The Vietnamese State leader is scheduled to visit General Raul Castro Ruz before leaving Havana for Santiago, the second largest city of Cuba, where he will lay wreaths at Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s grave and the monument commemorating national hero Jose Marti.
After concluding the Cuban visit, President Phuc will head to New York for a general debate of the UN General Assembly’s 76th session and a number of bilateral activities in the US./.
VNA/VNP
