Abdala: life in a small bulb

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, Jun 17 (ACN) Rosa Mendoza, 61, a resident of the town of El Cristo—about 20 km from the provincial capital—has been carrying the vaccine candidate Abdala in her body since June 11, as part of the health intervention organized in the country.

She suffers from arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus, comorbidities that place her in one of the highest risk groups for COVID-19, the reason that she was administered the contents of these small bulbs, which she considers a new hope for life.

Aware that she is part of a unique moment in the history of Cuba and its fight against an invisible enemy, the SARS-Cov-2 virus, Rosa expressed her gratitude to the scientists and the Revolution, because despite U.S. hostility Cuba has five vaccine candidates, with two of them about to complete the phase III clinical trials.

After she got the first dose, she remained for an hour under strict observation for possible adverse side effects. Every 30 minutes Lisandra Simonó, a medical student, took her vital signs. Rosa’s face reflected the confidence that she shares with more than 15,000 fellow citizens are already vaccinated with Abdala.

In order to ensure the success of the health intervention in at-risk groups and regions, 13 vaccination sites were set up in El Cristo, a fact revealing of one of the qualities of the Cuban health system: the provision of free and universal medical care.

Dr. Maria del Carmen Dedieu, director of the local polyclinic, told ACN that family doctors and nurses are participating in the process, as well as five stomatologists and 40 medical students, all of them conversant in the good practices and the requirements of the protocol.

“Although it was difficult at first to meet the vaccination target—80 people per day—because of bad weather, in the following days they managed to pick up the pace and administer Abdala to all subjects included in the intervention,” she remarked. “And no serious adverse events were recorded, which confirms the safety level of the pharmaceutical formulation promoted by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.”

As a result of their anxiety and excitement about the vaccine under development, some of them showed signs of high blood pressure, but after the appropriate medication and monitoring, they were inoculated with the vaccine candidate, and so far they have not reported any discomfort, she added.

Rosa Mendoza participates in the health intervention in various ways, since in her capacity as president of a Committee for the Defense of the Revolution she can help ensure the punctual presence of the neighbors in the vaccination site at the scheduled time.

She trusts in and encourages others to join this effort by reminding them of the lethal nature of the disease and of how much her State and Government are doing to reduce the effects of the virus. She is grateful to our scientists and health professionals, because she knows that what’s inside those small bulbs saves thousands of lives.