Havana, 18 May 2021. Some 455,908 people have already received the first doses of the vaccine candidates Abdala or Soberana 02, as part of the health intervention in risk groups and territories authorized by the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), which began in the country in the first fortnight May, Dr. Francisco Durán GarcÃa, National Director of Epidemiology of the Minsap, notified in a press conference.
In the case of Havana, -he reported- the first dose of Abdala has already been applied to 186,499 people, which represents 46.9% of the universe of 396,382 subjects scheduled to be immunized in the municipalities of Regla, Guanabacoa, Habana del Este and San Miguel del Padrón, where the intervention began on May 12.
On the other hand, in the rest of the country, where the health intervention with Abdala and Soberana 02 is being carried out in health workers and students and other risk groups, 269 809 people have already received the initial dose, 56.8% of the 474 676 citizens who must participate in the process.
In recent days, when appearing at the Round Table, the Minister of Public Health, Dr. José Angel Portal Miranda, reported that the health intervention with Abdala, in the country’s capital, was going to be initiated by the seven municipalities that did not participate in the trials. Soberana 02 clinics.
On May 12 it began in Regla, San Miguel del Padrón, Guanabacoa and Habana del Este; while, from the last week of this month, it will begin in the municipalities of Boyeros, Cotorro and Arroyo Naranjo, which will cover a population of around 382 016 inhabitants, according to what was announced by the head of Public Health.
The municipalities of Plaza de la Revolución, Playa, Centro Habana, Old Havana, Diez de Octubre, La Lisa and Marianao, which are part of the phase III trial of Soberana 02, must be integrated into the health intervention in the second half of June , with a population universe of 928 627 people.
Likewise, the sanitary intervention was announced in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba (743,806 inhabitants), Matanzas (563,928 inhabitants), Pinar del RÃo (271 611 people from 19 to 49 years old) and the Special Municipality of Isla de la Juventud (48 664 inhabitants), for the second half of May.
Likewise, said process with Abdala was authorized in 805,909 older adults for the second half of June, and in 2,881,713 people between 40 and 59 years of age also in the second half of June.
Health intervention: some answers to questions of the population
Carrying out the health intervention should help reduce the number of sick and deceased and control the transmission of the virus, which will make it possible to return to economic and social activities. In this regard, doctors Ileana Morales Suárez, director of Science and Technological Innovation at Minsap, and MarÃa Elena Soto Entenza, head of the Department of Primary Health Care, offer some answers on the website of the Ministry of Public Health.
What is a health intervention?
They are actions that are carried out taking into account the epidemiological evidence and the available technology – in this case, vaccine candidates – for the eradication, elimination, reduction of exposure levels, control of natural transmission or prevention of epidemics, limitation of damage. and / or reduction of mortality.
What elements justify health intervention in risk groups and territories with Cuban vaccine candidates?
The process is carried out in the country from the administration of 415 161 doses of both candidates in a period of two months, the results in the first two phases of the clinical trials of these immunogens and the preliminary data provided by the studies. intervention.
Other incentives are determined by the favorable benefit-to-risk ratio, the complex epidemiological situation with the increase in cases in recent days and the increase in serious, critical and deceased patients, as well as the appearance of new genetic variants.
Why health intervention and not mass vaccination?
It is not mass vaccination because it is not being done throughout Cuba, its behavior is evaluated and it has limited ethical and organizational elements, which includes a research protocol, an Ethics Committee that endorsed the intervention, and is carried out under the concept of the voluntariness and informed consent.
When can we talk about mass vaccination?
Mass vaccination (on a population scale) will be considered when the authorization of emergency use is achieved with conditional registration by the regulatory authority, when that happens, what is happening at that time culminates, either the health intervention in groups and risk territories, therefore the intervention is temporary.
Is it optional to participate in the health intervention?
The health intervention is carried out under the concept of voluntariness, that is, everyone who agrees that the vaccine candidates are applied. The most important thing is to be informed and if anyone has any questions, they can go to their family doctor or the polyclinic authorities for guidance on the benefits of these immunogens.
Can those who come across steroid treatments get vaccinated?
In the case of high doses, you should consult with your family doctor, but in low doses or sporadic treatments, vaccine candidates can receive.
What happens to those allergic to Thimerosal?
During the organizational process and the planning of the health intervention, it was taken into account to identify these people for whom, from the biopharmaceutical industry, batches without the compound are produced and once they are ready they can be applied.
In addition, in each vaccination center there is an emergency team so that in the event of a serious adverse event, the volunteers can be treated immediately.
Will the child population be immunized as part of the health intervention?
Minors are not part of it, since different clinical trials are being designed for them that have not yet been approved. In Havana, the health intervention began in the municipalities of Regla, Guanabacoa, La Habana de Este and San Miguel del Padrón, in people from 19 years of age, starting in a staggered way with those over 60 years of age and then going descending in the age range towards those from 40 to 59 and later from 19 to 39 years.
While in the rest of the country, health intervention is carried out on health personnel, workers of the BioCubaFarma Business Group and other risk groups and territories, not including the pediatric population.
Can foreigners be vaccinated in the sanitary intervention?
Until now, the health intervention does not contemplate the vaccination of foreigners, only students and permanent foreign residents in Cuba are approved, with an informed consent.
What are the benefits of the health intervention?
Receiving the three doses of Abdala (0-14-28 days) and Soberana 02 (0-28-56 days) will increase the antibody titers in the body to combat SARS-CoV-2, prevent people from get sick and go to serious stages of the disease. In the same way, this immunity, by achieving high vaccination coverage, will make it possible to cut transmission.
Should vaccinated people continue to comply with health protocols?
Immunization is not achieved until the third dose and when there are high vaccination coverage, so it is necessary to continue with the hygienic and distancing measures and the use of the nasobuco or sanitary mask. In addition to taking care of our children and the elderly, and avoiding crowds.
Therefore, continuing to comply with the sanitary measures should be a fundamental premise of the actions of each Cuban citizen. As the Minister of Public Health, Dr. José Angel Portal Miranda insisted in his social networks: «That we move towards a massive immunization of our population cannot become a reason to neglect any of the sanitary measures that have been put into practice for more than one year in the national territory ».
Source: Granma/Minister of Health of Cuba (MINSAP)
