The Business Group of the Biotechnological and Pharmaceutical Industries of Cuba (BioCubaFarma) is developing an antigen against the Omicron variant of SARS-COV-2 that is ready to be formulated into a vaccine candidate, and to initiate the corresponding preclinical and clinical trials.

In statements to Granma, Dr. Eduardo Martínez Díaz, president of BioCubaFarma, specified that the antigen has been produced at the laboratory level, and soon there will be a vaccine candidate to evaluate it in the preclinical and in humans against the Omicron variant.

He explained that among the variants derived from Ómicron is BA.5, the cause of a new outbreak of COVID-19 in the world, and of an increasing trend in cases in Cuba in recent weeks.

Martínez Díaz commented that the subvariant BA.2.75, known as Centauro, has appeared, shares 45 mutations with Ómicron BA.5 and has 15 only its own, among which there are two that are worrying because they facilitate the entry of the virus into the cell.

The Centauro variant has been identified in about twelve countries and may be five times more contagious than Ómicron BA.1, which wore that crown, although there is still not much information on whether it increases the risk of severity.

In relation to the effectiveness of anticovid vaccines, he argued that new variants increasingly escape induced immunity and even that obtained due to virus infection, but that current vaccines still have a high level of protection against infection. severe illness and death, especially with high antibody titers.

According to Martínez Díaz, this is one of the reasons why it has been decided to reinforce immunity with another dose.

He added that they have been studying the immunity of around 6,000 people, and the preliminary results show that there is a high level of immunity against the virus in the Cuban population.

According to data from the World Health Organization, in May 2022 the "centaur" variant or sublineage BA.2.75, a sublineage of BA.2, which in turn is a "son" of the omicron variant, was identified in India.

This July 21, the Ministry of Public Health of Peru identified a case, the first in South America.

Infographic: Taken from

https://www.centrohelguera.com.ar/