When the COVID-19 vaccine protects three generations
When the COVID-19 vaccine protects three generations
Riberalta, Beni ‒ Bolivia, 20 May 2021 (PAHO)- Brenda, Daniela, and Ingrid Chávez Casilima are three Bolivian sisters who were isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of the lockdowns in their home town. The arrival of vaccines has given the three sisters and their mother the hope of getting together again. Without giving it a second thought, they got vaccinated against COVID-19 at the closest health facility to their house when a large batch of AstraZeneca vaccines was delivered to their municipality under the COVAX initiative.
In Riberalta, a city in Bolivia’s Amazon region near the border with Brazil, COVID-19 cases were increasing at an alarming rate, with 50 to 70 new cases recorded every day. The risk of introduction and spread of a worrisome variant of the SARS-Cov2 virus that was circulating in the neighboring country mobilized the Bolivian authorities to prioritize vaccination of the population living in border municipalities such as Riberalta, a region with approximately 103,000 inhabitants.
By the end of March, Bolivia had received 228,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX program, a worldwide initiative between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Gavi Alliance, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The delivery is part of the first phase of doses that Bolivia will receive from COVAX.
The national government distributed the COVAX vaccines, giving priority to regions with a greater need to immunize their populations, based on a vaccination schedule defined by age and vulnerability, especially older adults and those with underlying conditions.
Three generations vaccinated
Brenda Chávez
The Chávez family in Riberalta, like many others in the area, suffered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They own a small family business decorating rooms for social events, which they operate out of their house located on the outskirts of the city. With no business and no clients, their spirits fell and they appeared to be ruined.
With the news of rising case numbers on the border, the possibility that new variants of the virus were circulating, a ruined family business, and health services decimated by the pandemic in Riberalta, the Chávez family was in a state of constant anxiety.
“We are a tight-knit family. My mother, siblings, nieces and nephews, and children all live in the same house. During the lockdown we stopped going anywhere, only leaving home on the allowed day based on our identity number,” said the oldest sister Brenda Chávez, explaining the family’s self-quarantine.
On the day the 40,000 doses of vaccines allocated to Riberalta by COVAX arrived, the Chavez sisters were ecstatic. There was no discussion about what they would do. All three unanimously decided to go together to be vaccinated, taking their mother, who is over 70, with them.
In the Amazon region, it can get as hot as 42°C (107.6°F) in the afternoon. The red sandy streets burn. There is no breeze and practically no one goes out when the sun is at its highest, given the unrelenting heat and humidity. However, nothing could stop the Chávez sisters and their family from going to the Conavi health center to be vaccinated.
“I got my first dose and I feel fine. I haven’t had any side effects,” says Ingrid, showing her vaccination card. The sisters know they must continue to be careful and take precautions to avoid infection, but they also know that the vaccines make it possible for families to stay together and be healthy.
Call to be vaccinated
According to the records of the local authorities, COVID-19 was occurring more often in young people, who rapidly filled intensive care beds in the municipality.
Despite this troubling fact and despite the desire of many people in Riberalta to be vaccinated, the other side of the story is that some people do not participate in mass vaccinations. Many say they don’t trust the vaccine because they read or saw some information on social networks or heard a rumor spread by a neighbor. Others trust natural remedies more, while still others stay immersed in their everyday tasks, ignoring the danger posed by the disease.
Mercedes Abrego, the person responsible for immunization in Riberalta, says that despite the situation, the vaccination teams will continue to vaccinate people at either the municipal health facilities or door-to-door, so that all citizens have access to the vaccine.
