12.03.2020, Caracas.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that Venezuela has received interferon produced in Cuba to fight coronavirus infection, El Comercio reported on March 11.
The Head of State said that in order to combat coronavirus the country should be closed and have enough medications to treat those who had fallen ill with the coronavirus. “Cuba is always ahead and the Cuban Interferon alpha-2b is already in Venezuela,” he said.
According to the head of the Cuban medical mission in Venezuela, Julio Garcia, the country has about 10 thousand units of this medication.
Interferon alpha-2b is an antiviral drug that boosts immunity, and it is on the list of 10 medications approved by the Chinese government to treat pneumonia caused by COVID-19.
This medication was created in 1984, and it was the first medication produced in Cuba using biotechnology. There is a factory in China that produces this medicine, which according to Garcia, has saved the lives of thousands of people.
Because of the severe sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, and a number of other countries, the Government of Venezuela is not able to purchase medications.
Background
In late 2019, a new type of coronavirus was discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan, causing pneumonia with unusual symptoms. Coronavirus cases were then also reported in Australia, South Korea, Nepal, Malaysia, Japan, USA, France and Canada. On 31 January, the first two cases were confirmed in Russia.
China is taking decisive action to combat the infection. In particular, the Chinese authorities imposed quarantine on the cities where the hotbed of infection were found, and mobilized military and civilian medics to provide assistance and conduct examinations of citizens. New hospitals are being built in record time. A number of countries have closed their borders with China and many airlines have cancelled regular flights to Beijing and other cities in the country.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
