What is known about Abdala, the vaccine that could be given to children in Mexico

Hugo López-Gatell, Undersecretary for Prevention and Health Promotion of the Government of Mexico, reported that Pfizer, Sinovac and Abdala are the vaccines contemplated to vaccinate Mexican children. Abdala is a Cuban anti-COVID-19 vaccine, the first developed in Latin America and approved by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

According to López-Gatell, in Cuba it has been applied to infants aged two and older. However, in Mexico it would apply to minors between 5 and 11 years of age. This is a vaccine with an effectiveness of 92.28 percent in the prevention of symptomatic disease caused by the virus, after the application of the three-dose scheme.

It also offers 100 percent effectiveness in preventing death and severe symptomatic diseases, which are complications that require invasive mechanical ventilation. However, it is not proven to prevent infection, so those immunized with it must continue to comply with hygiene and distancing measures imposed by the health authorities.

It should be noted that people are protected until a period of between 15 and 28 days after being vaccinated with the complete scheme of this compound, which includes 3 applications. The interval between each application of the vaccine is 14 days.

Its active substance is the recombinant protein RBD which, by binding to the human ACE-2 receptor, produces antibodies essential in the efficient neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 infection of cells. The vaccine, developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), was tested in a trial involving 48,000 volunteers from three Cuban provinces and was also tested in an immunogenicity study that measured its ability to generate immune responses in children and adolescents.

In Mexico, the Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris) approved its emergency use in December 2021. The Undersecretary for Prevention and Health Promotion of the Government of Mexico considers it a good option to immunize minors in the country.

It is worth mentioning that, the government has been criticized for its opposition to immunization of children. In this regard, Hugo López-Gatell stated that there is no resistance to vaccination of Mexican children and that the process has not started because they are not a segment of the population at risk.

He stated that: “The evidence is very consistent that girls and boys, particularly in the five to 11 age group, of all people are the least at risk of complication, of needing hospitalization, of suffering from severe COVID and of course of dying.”

So far, the only underage population group that has been vaccinated is that composed of adolescents with comorbidities. According to official information, about 400 thousand people between 12 and 17 years old with chronic diseases have received the anti-COVID vaccine. But the vaccination day for boys and girls is expected to start in May.

The National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents (Sipinna) revealed that the number of children with Covid increased by 57% in January 2022 compared to the same period last year. In the first month of 2022, 8,166 infections and 27 deaths were reported in the population aged 12 to 17.

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