Central American bank funds Cuban COVID-19 vaccine drive
January 11, 2022
10:41 AM CST
Last Updated 3 hours ago
Americas
By Marc Frank
2 minute read
HAVANA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The Central American Bank for Economic Integration said it would give Cuba a loan of 46.7 million euros ($53.1 million) to help bolster the communist-run country's COVID-19 vaccine program as it seeks to ramp up production for both domestic use and export.
The fresh funds will underwrite the production of 200 million additional shots, according to a statement from the bank on Monday.
Cuba, a poor Caribbean island nation hard hit by the pandemic, has nonetheless already vaccinated more of its citizens against COVID-19 than most of the world's largest and richest nations. Over 92% of Cubans have received at least one dose of the country's domestically produced vaccines, according to an online tally from "Our World in Data."
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The bank, backed in part by South Korea and Taiwan, is one of the few multinational lenders of which Cuba is a member. The organization does not include the United States, which has for decades imposed an embargo and sanctions on Cuba that inhibit the country's participation with other major world lenders.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/central-american-bank-funds-cuban-covid-19-vaccine-drive-2022-01-11/?rpc=401&