Rosa María Fernández Pupo has been waiting anxiously for her chance to get vaccinated since she fell ill with COVID-19 on July 9. We found her while waiting for the materialization of that moment in the clinical site located in the seat of Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS) of the city of Las Tunas, with the confidence that the Cuban injectable Soberana Plus will help stimulate the immunity developed by the natural infection.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- The 63-year-old nurse, who remains active in her work at the head of a team of professionals from the branch in a prison, thanked all the health personnel who combat SARS CoV-2 and, in particular, the workers of the José Martí isolation center where she received the attention of careful humanism and professional quality.
"I have 46 years of work and I will continue to be active," she said before receiving the puncture that also reached the shoulder of Haydeé Rodríguez Ramírez, who described the act as "a marvel" and felt fortunate to already carry the single dose of this product, the result of years of consolidation of the Cuban biotechnology, and a period of intense work to achieve sovereignty in the production of vaccines against the new coronavirus.
Miguel González, a worker of the Provincial Directorate of the Popular Savings Bank, is very grateful as well; who with ninety days of recovery from the disease still has sequelae, although he has returned to his work. These citizens are among the more than 5,250 people over 19 years of age that receive Soberana Plus at this first moment, having a PCR test and a minimum of two months of recovery from the disease.
As authorities from the Public Health sector and Cuban scientists have explained that the objective of this vaccine is to stimulate the immunity developed by the natural infection and reduce the risk of reinfection by new variants of SARS-CoV-2. In such a way, throughout Cuba work is being done with speed to advance vaccination, while continuing to appeal to individual and collective responsibility. It is a fruitful task that generates days of intense work for the second-degree specialist in Comprehensive General Medicine Dania Quiñones Rodríguez, now busy with vaccination. After participating in the pediatric immunization campaign, Dania assumes the current process and does so with the support of the dependencies of Primary Health Care in each community, the delegates of the People's Power, and the presidents of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) who summon convalescents and tell them where to go to be vaccinated.
"So far everything is flowing well and patients arrive in a staggered manner so that we are at a vaccination rate of about 150 people each day. We have not had any adverse reaction and there is a lot of satisfaction on the part of the population," the expert said and also pointed out as nausea, joint pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath among the most common ailments manifested by convalescents.
Diligent and attentive, the first-year medical student Lilibeth Espinosa Escalona is one of the protagonists of vaccination at the clinical site installed at the AHS headquarters. For this young woman, such an experience puts her in direct contact with the people affected by the pandemic and provides her with better tools for her future performance.
With 80 percent of Cubans receiving at least the first dose of the anti-COVID-19 vaccines, the Greater of the Antilles leads the Latin American region in the amount of immunized population. Each new statistic heralds better moments for the compatriots and makes it possible to glimpse an end, even if it is still far away. Soberana Plus also contributes to this reality, a vaccine that here weaves peace, hope, gratitude, and pride.
