Vaccine Controversy: From Side Effects to Application

In 2020, the COVID-19 vaccine was seen as the remedy of all evil. However, despite the proven effectiveness of different developments, controversy surrounding the vaccines has risen. From contract compliance to application resistance, vaccination campaigns have demonstrated that to effectively get over COVID-19, the world needs collaboration to spread information and promote transparency.

Here is the Week in Health!

NATIONAL

-After a controversial video where a volunteer simulated the application of a COVID-19 vaccine in Mexico City, President López Obrador and Zoé Robledo, Director General of IMSS (in charge of that vaccination module) said this was a “human error.” They both shared that an investigation will begin to reveal the intentions of these actions. They guaranteed people that all COVID-19 vaccinations involving the elderly population have been done correctly.

-Health professionals from the private sector protested against the Mexican government for their exclusion from the first phase of the vaccination campaign. This first phase targeted health professionals. However, the priority was given to those in the public sector. El Economista reported that the government said it did consider health professionals from the private sector in its lists. However, registries were unreliable, which obstructed the vaccination process. 

-President López Obrador announced that educational workers will start receiving the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this month. 

-COFEPRIS has approved the emergency use of Indian COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin. This development began clinical trials back in June 2020 and concluded in March 2021. Its efficacy to prevent the virus is at 80 percent.

-After spring break, the Governor of Quintana Roo reported that Tulum registered a 200 percent spike in COVID-19 cases, while Bacalar and the Solidaridad municipalities reported a 50 percent and 40 percent increase, respectively.

-Apr. 7 is Wolrd Health Day and this year, President López Obrador awarded 12 medical professionals with the Merit Award 2021.

INTERNATIONAL

-Argentina President Alberto Fernández tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine. The Gamaleya institute in charge of this Russian vaccine reacted quickly via Twitter claiming to feel sad about the news and recalling that “Sputnik V is 91.6 percent effective against infection and 100 percent effective against severe cases. If an infection is confirmed, the vaccination ensures a quick recovery without severe symptoms.”

-EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) concluded that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. EMA recommended all patients that have received this vaccine to seek immediate medical assistance “if they develop symptoms involving a combination of blood clots and low blood platelets,” stated the announcement.

-In Mexico, Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell said there is little evidence to stop the application of this vaccine. In the UK, people on their 30s will be given an alternative option to the AstraZeneca vaccine. Germany, Holland, Italy and Spain will apply it to people over 60 years of age only and France and Belgium to people over 55 years of age.

-One in three survivors of COVID-19 has a neurological or psychiatric disorder, reported a study published by The Lancet. The most common condition is anxiety, found in 17 percent of patients after six months of infection.

-US President Joe Biden announced that this month, a registry of all adults living in the US will open. With this measure, the government expects to fasten vaccination. This was also one of Biden’s campaign promises.