It’s been a year since the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, began pushing for his country to develop its own COVID-19 vaccine. Now, Cuba has five of its own vaccine candidates, two in phase 3 clinical trials. In the latest episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we find out how this small country, living under a restrictive US trade embargo, could be on the cusp of vaccine sovereignty and what this means for global vaccine diplomacy. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Meanwhile, more and more African countries have started to receive shipments of the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines. Some have already used up their limited supply, while others are still waiting. But some have them, and don’t want them. This is a key challenge that vaccination drives face: vaccine reluctance. Heidi Larson and Raji Tajudeen reveal how, when vaccines were initially deployed, there was generally a positive perception of their importance and efficacy. Since then, there’s been more reluctance and apprehension as more information, often poor or inaccurate, becomes available. What makes things more complicated is that information has been coming in dribs and drabs, creating a fertile ground for rumour-mongering.