Will We Have a Vaccine for Covid-
That confirmed that the disease is
19?
- 11/26/2020
Probably one of the most spoken words
during this year is “Coronavirus” and it
is not strange because this disease has
made headlines in the worldwide media.
But, where is this virus from and how is
it affecting the population? SARS-
COVID19 is a virus family that normally
attacks animals, but sometimes it can
mutate and jump to humans. And that is
what happened in December 2019 at the
Wuhan wet market in China, a city with
more than eleven million inhabitants. A
week later, China confirmed a new strain
of this disease, named provisionally
2019-nCoV. It started like other flu
infections. In fact, the symptoms are very
similar to other diseases; runny nose,
cough or sore throat. It is so alike to
other common respiratory diseases, that
without an analysis it is practically
impossible to differentiate it from a
common cold, until those infected start to
develop a fever and respiratory issues
such as pneumonia.
After tracking the origin of this virus, the
authorities concluded that it was a new
disease that was tracked and the results
of the findings were published on January
9th, 2020. Apparently, this virus seems
less lethal than other variants, such as
the Seven Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS) or the Respiratory Syndrome
from the Middle East (MERS). Two days
later, the first death because of
Coronavirus-19 was certified and, at the
same time, 41 new contagions were
added while the scientific community
contemplated the possibility of 700 more
cases.
transmitted from human to human in a
simple way: through air particles, on
cough drops, or by sneezing. The
contagions started to multiply and the
Coronavirus started being treated as a
global emergency. A few days passed
until the first cases in other countries,
like Japan, USA, or France were
confirmed. In fact, it did not take long for
the Coronavirus to arrive to the whole
world due to passenger transit. The truth
is that the mortality of this virus is
around 3%-5%, not so worrying if we
compare it with other strains of common
flu.
However, due to the speed of the
contagion worldwide and to the
increasing death rates, major laboratories
began emergency processes in order to
identify the RNA of the virus and, from
there, create a vaccine. A vaccine works
by training the immune system to
recognize and combat pathogens, either
viruses or bacteria. To do this, certain
molecules from the pathogen must be
introduced into the body to trigger an
immune response. The common problem
among the investigations for the possible
Covid-19 vaccine are the constant
mutations that this virus presents. These
mutations produce a variety of different
symptoms in patients. The challenge is to
find 1 vaccine that has positive results by
attacking all the mutations in all people.
Will Latinoamerica overcome Covid-
19 by 2022? How effective will
vaccination be?
- 01/21/2021
Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, and Argentina
are some of the Latin American countries
that have already launched their
respective vaccination programs against
Covid-19, while other countries such as
Brazil are still stocking up on doses
without clarity of the date in which they
will initiate the inoculation process. Peru,
Uruguay, Cuba, Venezuela, Guatemala,
among others, have already reached
agreements with pharmaceutical
companies to obtain the vaccine, while
Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador already
have estimated dates to start the
inoculation process although vaccines
have not yet arrived.
Before reaching the public, vaccines
usually take years of study and testing.
But in 2020, scientists embarked on a
quest, in record time, to deliver safe and
effective coronavirus vaccines. Currently,
researchers are testing sixty-six different
vaccines in human clinical trials, and
twenty have entered the final stages of
testing. In mammals, at least ninety
preclinical vaccines are under active
review.
Colombians are growing agitated about
when the nation will launch the much-
awaited vaccine program. With a return
to lockdowns and a dramatic rise in
COVID-19 cases, deaths are again
reaching four-hundred per day.
The pressure to vaccinate stems from the
mutating virus, in what is termed as the
global "race against time." Some Nations
have begun vaccinating, but are failing to
reach the established goals for daily
vaccination. In Brazil and Chile, a super-
contagious COVID-19 strain is already
circulating. Could it perhaps be in
Colombia?
In the meantime, there is evidence of
long-term health issues facing individuals
who have recovered from the latest
coronavirus, such as exhaustion,
insomnia and depression, dementia and
cognitive loss. So, even if you are
immune to viral scare tales or just
terrified of needles, one disease worth
avoiding is coronavirus.
Here is some clarification of where we
are in Colombia with COVID-19
vaccination process and what could
happen next...
Will Colombia get the COVID-19
vaccine soon?
-01/22/2021
No one can tell. Colombia’s President
Ivan Duque announced that vaccination
will begin in February, but the health
minister, Dr. Fernando Ruiz, says that
there is no set date and that negotiations
with vaccine suppliers have not been
finalized. In Colombia, even as a war of
words erupts and as cases skyrocket, rich
northern countries hoard. But even after
the vaccine arrives in Colombia, there
will be many logistical barriers to having
people inoculated, such as shortages of
workers and syringes. We can expect
delays for months.
Who will be vaccinated?
-01/22/2021
The national vaccination plan launched
last week by the Ministry of Health
states that people over sixty, front-line
health workers and those with chronic
medical conditions such as diabetes, high
blood pressure or lung disease will be
prioritized. Teachers and at risk staff are
next in line. Healthy adults between the
ages of sixteen and fifty-nine would have
no priority. The initial intention is to
vaccinate around 70% of the adult
population in order to achieve herd
immunity. This means that under the
new scheme not every adult can get
protected. The vaccine is voluntary and it
is given for free or very cheap in
principle.
What happens if you already had
COVID-19?
-01/22/2021
According to physicians, vaccine
immunity is likely to last longer, and it is
best to still get vaccinated.
What vaccines are planned for
Colombia?
-01/24/2021
The Pfizer vaccine has been licensed by
the Colombian medical control authorities
(INVIMA), while AstraZeneca, COVAX
and Janssen licences are pending. The
first three require two injections a month
apart, and the need for specialist freezers
at minus 80 degrees further complicates
the Pfizer product, restricting its use.
The other three only need cold
refrigerators. A single dose is needed for
the Janssen vaccine, making it suitable
for remote areas.
How will people get inoculated in
Colombia?
-01/24/2021
Often by the health system that exists.
People enrolled with the EPS insurance
program will be called to their nearest
walk-in clinics for vaccination
appointments. Since the EPSs already
have health data from residents, they can
schedule individuals according to their
priority for health. Mass meetings are
supposedly avoided by this method.
MinSalud will introduce a centralized app
and website, Mi Vacuna, as a supplement
to the scheme, enabling individuals to
register and confirm their turn for the
vaccine, and maybe even question their
prioritization.
Things that could possibly go
wrong.. -01/24/2021
A ton, really. Anyone familiar with the
"public-private" EPS health system
knows that it has several faults and even
before COVID-19 it was already
overwhelmed. And it will be taken closer
to failure by the current increase in cases.
Will it cope with mass vaccinations as
well? Improbable. The COVID-19
testing fiasco has been a recent example
of EPS melt-down; clinics were unable to
meet demand or sent patients test results
several weeks late. This made useless the
method of test-and-trace, which in turn
created further contagion and lockdowns.
MinSalud is now under criticism and
under pressure to set up a more
comprehensive framework for its EPS
vaccine programme.
What happens to people not already
in the health system?
-01/24/2021
In principle, individuals outside the EPS
health system are protected by
emergency and preventive health care,
also known as "ESEs" by local hospitals,
but coverage is not guaranteed in
practice. MinSalud has now announced
that local authorities should register with
the "non-insured poor population" to join
the vaccination programme, and this
includes migrants legally in Colombia.
President Duque announced recently that
illegal migrants would be removed from
the vaccination programme, suggesting
at least a million Venezuelans. Since
then, MinSalud has proposed that the UN
and NGOs assist in vaccinating migrants.
Should I now get health insurance?
-01/24/2021
If you want to get vaccinated, this is
recommended and may be necessary.
Indeed, in the short to long term, if
you're here, you need insurance or EPS
to get a visa.
Note that Colombia is only targeting 70
percent coverage initially, so MinSalud
will prioritize vaccinating individuals
already enrolled in the health system who
can be tested for current health problems
and side effects. Most notably, a month
apart, they are more likely to receive the
second dose. Anyone who lacks the
second dose can increase the risk of viral
resistance to the vaccine.
Any foreign resident can enter an EPS as
an independent and directly pay the
monthly fee.
What happens if you live in a remote
area?
-01/24/2021
Maybe you will be ignored. First, most
mass vaccination campaigns target
denser urban areas, which is also where
people are more likely to be enrolled in
the health system in Colombia. In rural
areas and conflict areas, childhood
inoculation coverage has traditionally
always been smaller. It will make extra
effort for the countryside, MinSalud says,
but possibly the towns will come first.
Will we have the possibility to buy
the vaccine privately?
-01/24/2021
The vaccine would definitely be sold at a
high cost by top-end medical clinics. A
Pfizer vaccine has already been licensed
for commercial sale by the Colombian
medicine control authority, INVIMA. In
the wake of the EPS testing flaws, one
precedent is the boom in private
laboratories providing quick, reliable
testing services, but at a high cost.
Whatever your ethical views on queue-
jumping, these VIP clinics will be a good
bet for those who can afford it.
What happens if you don’t want the
vaccine?
-01/28/2021
No worry, the vaccine is not compulsory.
And you're in good company: 45 percent
of Colombians do not trust the vaccine, a
new survey revealed. With recent fake
news on "mass vaccine deaths," COVID-
19 conspiracies continue to dominate
social media. The survey revealed that,
given the hurried roll-out and lack of
evidence on its efficacy on new mutants,
how long it will last, or even whether
inoculated individuals can still spread the
virus or not, many people are concerned
about potential side effects, a legitimate
concern.

The latest experiments indicate that the

vaccines function with super-spreading
mutations and potentially provide long-
lasting security, but each day brings new
evidence. And vaccine resistance might
be a positive thing in the short term as
well: it would leave something for the
rest of us.