Cuba's widespread vaccination against covidium-19 and the early introduction of immunization in children have proved crucial in fighting the highly contagious omicron variant before it spreads to the island at all, local and international experts say.

Omicron arrived in Cuba in December, but far fewer cases were reported than in other countries, and infections have since dropped to more than 80 percent, according to the data.

Brazilian virologist Amilcar Perez Riverol said that although the number of cases varies greatly from country to country depending on the rate of testing, the omicron variant appears to have difficulty remaining in Cuba or causing an increase in deaths or severe forms of the disease.

Young children in particular have become vulnerable to the spread of omicron in many countries, as some vaccines, including those produced by Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, have yet to be approved by health regulators for people under 5 years of age.

Cuba developed its own vaccines against covidium and became the first country in the world to launch it mass vaccination of two-year-old children.

Health workers on the Caribbean island have since fully vaccinated 1,8 million children between the ages of two and 18, or more than 96 percent of the total, with no reported serious side effects, according to Cuban health officials.

Eduardo Martinez, The president of the state-owned pharmaceutical company BioCubaPharma said such a campaign set Cuba apart in the fight against omicron.

"Elsewhere in the world, the virus is circulating more in the pediatric population, but that is not happening in Cuba," Martinez said.

Local and foreign experts say the emphasis on child immunization, the wide scope of the country's vaccination campaign and the widespread "hybrid immunity" that comes from a combination of previous infections during previous waves of vaccination have also helped prevent the spread. of omicron in Cuba.

Cuba has fully vaccinated 87 percent of the population, and nearly 94 percent have received at least one dose, ranking it among the top three countries in the world with a population of at least one million, according to official figures from Our World in Figures. “.

Cuban scientists before the mass spread of omicron said that their vaccines against covid-19 Abdala, Sobrana 02 and Sobrana Plus, which are protein types, provide more than 90 percent protection against symptomatic disease when given in three doses, according to Reuters.