Given the increase in COVID-19 cases in Colombia that has intensified in recent weeks, healthcare sector associations such as ACEMI (Colombian Association of Comprehensive Medicine Companies) and Gestarsalud have joined the #MeVacunoDeUna initiative, a nationwide campaign whose goal is to promote vaccination against COVID-19 during the holidays and end-of-year holidays.
According to the National Institute of Health (INS), there has been an increase of up to 60% of COVID-19 cases in the country in the last three weeks. Between 11 and 17 November, 1,298 infections were recorded, between 18 and 24 November 2,112 and between 28 November and 2 December, 3,252 new cases were detected. This number is expected to continue to rise throughout the month if adequate measures are not taken to contain the spread of the virus.
Likewise, according to the epidemiological bulletin of this same institution, Bogotá is the city with the highest number of infections with 1,298 records, followed by the regions of Valle (559), Antioquia (363), Santander (188) and the city of Barranquilla (176).
Faced with this scenario, experts and health professionals have stressed the need to complete vaccination programs with the respective booster doses. “The pandemic has not disappeared. Vaccination remains the most effective way to save lives. For this we join #MeVacunoDeUna with enthusiasm and hope to invite all Colombians to get vaccinated and to get vaccinated in all areas of the country to strengthen vaccination strategies against COVID-19 ”, said the spokespersons of the campaign.
According to its spokespersons, the #MeVacunoDeUna campaign seeks to highlight the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 during the end-of-year holiday season to take care not only of yourself but also of the people around you. The initiative will have an impact on all regions of the country and aims to promote vaccination as a measure of care and responsibility necessary to enjoy family gatherings and events safely against the risk of contagion from COVID-19.
Dr. Diego Rodríguez, medical director of Tecnofarma Colombia’s Vaccine Unit, says it is essential to strengthen measures to reduce the risk of infections and complications that involve hospitalization.
“As time goes by, the immunity we got with the initial vaccines wanes and that makes us susceptible to reinfections. The confluence of subvariants of COVID with seasonal respiratory viruses requires us to continue to take care of ourselves and stay up to date with vaccinations to take care of our health and that of our relatives and loved ones,” he said.
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the world is already more than 6 million, 29 thousand of them in the last three weeks, while the number of confirmed cases in the same period is around 10 millions. While this scenario confirms the global increase in COVID-19 cases, the real situation could be even worse, according to WHO, considering that the number of tests in more countries has decreased.
In fact, following the global alert generated by the increase in the number of positive cases and after the confirmation of the presence of the new subvariant of omicron BQ.1 in Colombia, the Ministry of Health has announced that it is evaluating the resumption of the mandatory use of masks in crowded indoor and outdoor spaces, with the aim of containing the virus and reducing congestion in emergency and shelter services.
For its part, the INS has recommended maintaining preventive measures such as constant hand washing and social distancing. Furthermore, he recalled that, to date, 12 million COVID-19 vaccines are available for those who want to start or complete their schemes.
For this reason, with the aim of increasing vaccination coverage against COVID-19, in addition to campaigns such as #MeVacunoDeUna, the Ministry announced a vaccination intensification day during the end of the year and called on Colombians to get vaccinated and complete their COVID-19 programs, as well as call about the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI).
Pursuant to resolution 1703 of 2022 of the Ministry of Health, the vaccine against COVID-19 is applied from the age of three, the first booster from the age of 12 and the second booster from the age of 18 and four months after the administration of the first booster.
To date, about 90 million doses have been applied in the country and there are nearly 37 million complete regimens. As for reinforcements, the latest data from the Ministry of Health show that only 2.1 million have been vaccinated with a second dose of reinforcement.
