The Federal Health Secretariat of Mexico rejected the return of 75,000 doses of the Abdala vaccine by the state of Coahuila. The formula expires in July and, assured the state Secretary of Health Roberto Bernal, “people don’t want it.” The official fears that these biologicals will end up decomposing in military and general hospitals, which were distributed mainly in the towns of Torreón and Saltillo.
Bernal says that he made the request in writing, but “they did not accept” the vaccines. The Government of Mexico bought without endorsement from the World Health Organization (WHO) 9,000,000 doses to Cuba to be used as reinforcement against covid-19.
The state official was suggested to gather ten people to use one of the vials, but at the same time they told him that if he only gave the formula to one applicant and “nine are spoiled for me” at a time they told him that, it did not matter. “That’s what they told me and I have it in writing,” he says.
The Cuban drug was delivered to the state of Coahuila in December 2022. Of 99,200 doses, only 24,200 were used in almost six months. According to official figures, in this entity, 2,621,070 people already have their full vaccination schedule.
The Cuban drug was delivered to the state of Coahuila in December 2022. Of 99,200 doses, only 24,200 were used in almost six months
The state health secretary acknowledges that the Abdala vaccine “is not internationally authorized to be used as a booster.” In the same way, he clarifies that he is not against this alternative that Mexico bought to the Island, but “if people ask me (if it is recognized by the WHO), I have to be honest.”
The lack of international recognition, Bernal assumes, was the factor that prevented people from trusting this alternative: “What the population requires right now are reinforcements and the one authorized worldwide by serious instances is the bivalent one.”
Under the argument of “reserved file”, the Government of Mexico shielded the information on the public spending that the purchase of the Abdala vaccine represented on the Island. There are no official data on how many doses have been sent to the states, the vaccines they have used, or their expiration date.
In an attempt to use the greatest number of Cuban doses, this biologic has been applied in some prisons and has been offered to teachers, but teachers, especially in the states, have rejected the option.
Last May, Abdala received a favorable opinion from the New Molecules Committee, dependent on the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), to be used in children under 11 years of age. However, this newspaper confirmed that in the states the Pfizer dose continues to be applied.
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