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Objective: To estimate the effectiveness of several vaccine brands-Pfizer, Astra, and Sinovac-against symptomatic COVID-19 without information on vaccination at the individual level., Methods: We use data of mass vaccination programs-specifically, for sexagenarians and quinquagenarians-in three large municipalities of Mexico (Monterrey, Guadalupe, and San Nicolás) to conduct a two-step time series estimation procedure involving a synthetic control group. The data covers the period between the first week of March 2020 and the first week of October 2021., Results: Vaccine effectiveness is a concave function of time. At the peak, Pfizer reaches 92.6 % effectiveness, Astra 83.6 % and Sinovac 65.6 %. This occurs 9 to 12 weeks after the first shot., Conclusion: The results indicate that the three vaccines protect against symptomatic COVID-19. Nevertheless, they offer different levels of protection. The results also suggest that VE-under a two-shot scheme-reaches its peak 9 to 16 weeks after the first shot. Moreover, there seems to be a trade-off between achieving higher efficiency by administering the 2nd shot earlier or extending the protection period by administering it later., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The global inequity in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines underscores the urgent need for innovative and cost-effective vaccine technologies to address access disparities and implement local manufacturing capabilities. This is essential for achieving and sustaining widespread immunity, and for ensuring timely protection of vulnerable populations during future booster campaigns in lower- middle income countries (LMICs)., Methods: To address this need, we conducted a phase II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the locally manufactured AVX/COVID-12 "Patria" (AVX) vaccine as a booster dose. The vaccine was administered either intramuscularly (IM) or intranasally (IN) to participants who had previously completed a vaccination regimen for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using adenoviral vector, inactivated virus, or mRNA-based vaccines. Participants with initial anti-spike IgG titers below 1,200 U/mL were included, allowing us to observe the booster effect induced by vaccination., Results: Both IM and IN immunization with AVX were found to be safe and well-tolerated. The vaccine induced a significant (>2.5-fold) increase in neutralizing antibodies against the ancestral Wuhan strain and variants of concern (VOCs), including Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron (BA.2 and BA.5). This immune response was further supported by increased cellular production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), demonstrating a robust and multifaceted immune reaction., Conclusions: The administration of AVX as a booster dose, whether through IM or IN routes, was safe and well-tolerated. The vaccine extended immune responses not only against the ancestral Wuhan-1 strain but also against various VOCs. Its ability to enhance preexisting immune responses suggests a potential contribution to expanding and sustaining herd immunity within the population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Laboratorios Avimex S.A. de C.V. reports financial support was provided by Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencia y Tecnología. México. Bernardo Lozano-Dubernard reports financial support was provided by Laboratorios Avimex S.A. de C.V. P.P., F.K., and A.G.-S. has patent #62/994,252 pending to Mount Sinai. P.P., F.K., and A.G.-S. has patent #63/018,457 pending to Mount Sinai. P.P., F.K., and A.G.-S. has patent #63/020,503 pending to Mount Sinai. P.P., F.K., and A.G.-S. has patent #63/024,436 pending to Mount Sinai. P.P., F.K., and A.G.-S. has patent #63/251,020 pending to Mount Sinai. M.T., D.S.-M., C.L.-M., H.E.C.-C., F.C.-P., G.P.D.L., and B.L.-D. has patent #PCT/IB2022/058886. MX/a/2021/011439 pending to Avimex S.A. de C.V. The vaccine candidate administered in this study was developed by faculty members at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai including P.P., F.K., and A.G.-S. Mount Sinai is seeking to commercialize this vaccine; therefore, the institution and its faculty inventors could benefit financially. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has filed patent applications relating to SARS-849 CoV-2 serological assays (USA Provisional Application Numbers: 62/994,252, 63/018,457, 63/020,503, and 63/024,436) and NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (USA Provisional Application Number: 63/251,020) which list F.K. as co-inventor. A.G.-S. and P.P. are co-inventors in the NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine patent application. Patent applications were submitted by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai has spun out a company, Kantaro, to market serological tests for SARS-CoV-2 and another company, CastleVax, to commercialize SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. F.K., P.P., and A.G.-S. serve on the scientific advisory board of CastleVax and are listed as co-founders of the company. F.K. has consulted for Merck, Seqirus, Curevac, and Pfizer, and is currently consulting for Gritstone, Third Rock Ventures, GSK, and Avimex. The F.K. laboratory has been collaborating with Pfizer on animal models of SARS-CoV-2. C.L.-M. has consulted for AstraZeneca. The A.G.-S. laboratory has received research support from GSK, Pfizer, Senhwa Biosciences, Kenall Manufacturing, Blade Therapeutics, Avimex, Johnson & Johnson, Dynavax, 7Hills Pharma, Pharmamar, ImmunityBio, Accurius, Nanocomposix, Hexamer, N-fold LLC, Model Medicines, Atea Pharma, Applied Biological Laboratories, and Merck. A.G.-S. has consulting agreements for the following companies involving cash and/or stock: Amovir, Vivaldi Biosciences, Contrafect, 7Hills Pharma, Avimex, Pagoda, Accurius, Esperovax, Farmak, Applied Biological Laboratories, Pharmamar, CureLab Oncology, CureLab Veterinary, Synairgen, Paratus, Pfizer, and Prosetta. A.G.-S. has been an invited speaker in meeting events organized by Seqirus, Janssen, Abbott, and AstraZeneca. PP has a consulting agreement with Avimex. Members of Avimex developed the live vaccine used in this study. Avimex filed patent applications with Mount Sinai and CONAHCYT. M.T., D.S.-M., C.L.-M., H.E.C.-C., F.C.-P., G.P.D.L., and B.L.-D. are named as inventors on at least one of those patent applications. The clinical study was entirely performed in Mexico, and Mount Sinai had no role in it. The rest of the participants are employees of their corresponding institutions and declare no competing interests. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, various joint efforts have been made to support the creation of vaccines. Different projects have been under development, of which some are in the clinical evaluation stage and others in are in phase III with positive results. The aim of this paper was to describe the current situation of the development and production of vaccines available to the population to facilitate future research and continue developing and proposing ideas for the benefit of the population. So, we carried out a systematic review using databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, SciELO, and MEDLINE, including keywords such as "vaccines," "COVID-19," and "SARS-CoV-2". We reviewed the development and production of the anti-COVID vaccine and its different platforms, the background leading to the massive development of these substances, and the most basic immune aspects for a better understanding of their physiological activity and the immune response in those who receive the vaccine. We also analyzed immunization effects in populations with any medical or physiological conditions (such as immunosuppression, people with comorbidities, and pregnancy), as well as the response to immunization with heterologous vaccines and the hybrid immunity (the combination of natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 with immunity generated by the vaccine). Likewise, we address the current situation in Mexico and its role in managing the vaccination process against SARS-CoV-2 at the national and international levels. There are still many clinical and molecular aspects to be described, such as the duration of active immunity and the development of immunological memory, to mention some of the most important ones. However, due to the short time since the global vaccination roll-out and that it has been progressive (not counting children and people with medical conditions), it is premature to say whether a second vaccination schedule will be necessary for the near future. Thus, it is essential to continue with health measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on relevance of poverty and inequality as factors affecting the spread and mortality of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America. Topics include Peruvians lacking mass diagnostic testing due to the limitations intrinsic to the health system and socioeconomic inequalities; and COVID-19 vaccine strategy against vaccine hesitancy ending the pandemic and achieving sustainable recovery.

COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern, but long COVID's effects are yet to be fully understood. Hence, globally, SARS-CoV-2 is still a profound threat to public health and of perilous nature as a zoonotic disease. Timely vaccination provided to individuals worldwide during the pandemic phase was under a certain degree of control; however, few studies have reported the effectiveness of vaccines administered in Mexico, and its surveillance is paramount. Furthermore, an unknown proportion of Mexican individuals have not yet received any vaccine, and the circulation of the Omicron, Pirola, and FLiRT variants is ongoing. A cross-sectional serology survey study design was employed, involving 150 individuals from Southern Mexico (Oaxaca) whose humoral immune responses after vaccination were tested by an ELISA; the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein served as a recombinant antigen in the ELISA. One hundred thirty-nine out of 150 individuals (92.6%; 95%-CI = 87–95%) examined were positive for the ELISA, but in 11 individuals, the vaccines did not induce any immune response. Interestingly, the immune responses (antibody prevalence and levels) of females (58%) were higher (T= −2.21; p-value = 0.02) than those of males (41%). However, in this sample population of Southern Mexico, age, vaccine type, comorbidity, and body mass index did not have any effect (p > 0.05) after COVID-19 vaccination. Taking all results together, here, we present factors that affected immune responses of individuals during the first vaccination campaign in Oaxaca, Mexico; however, vaccine surveillance during the post-pandemic phase needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: This manuscript describes an in-state nursing student global health-care experience. The 2021 Rio Grande Valley service learning team at Louise Herrington School of Nursing at Baylor University traveled from Dallas to McAllen, Texas to volunteer in a COVID vaccination clinic and refugee respite center on the U.S.-Mexican border. Method: A competency-based evaluation utilized the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education Featured Concepts , with a focus on social determinants of health, as a framework. Results: The evaluation of the service learning trip through the lens of social determinants of health and the Core Competencies can serve as a guideline for the design of future trips. Conclusion: The Rio Grande Valley service learning trip contributed to nursing students' self-reports of competency in global health education, in identifying the social determinants of health that characterized the immigrants and refugees, and in service and advocacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology for designing a humanitarian supply chain (HSC) for immunization in Mexico. The study analyzes the abilities of HSCs provided in the literature and those that are relevant for the HSC vaccination in Mexico. In addition, the stakeholders involved in HSC for immunization were studied. A sentiment analysis of more than 900 newspaper articles was conducted to determine society's perception of the government's strategy for vaccine distribution. Considering these aspects and a review of the state-of-the-art in the design of supply chains, a methodology for HSC is proposed. Some of the findings are that resilience and agility, the most important abilities in HSCs in Mexico, can be achieved through government support and strong collaboration between different stakeholders, which was found to be the weakest point of the strategy. The problems observed in the vaccination strategy in Mexico were as follows: (1) a single physical space per municipality was defined for the application of the vaccine, (2) there is a shortage of vaccines, and (3) as far as we know, no methodology has been applied to carry out immunization. This approach considers the design of HSCs in terms of capabilities and stakeholders, which, to the best of our knowledge, is a novel aspect of the literature. This methodology can be used for various scenarios of HSCs in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to estimate self‐reported vaccine coverage and SARS‐CoV‐2 anti‐N and anti‐S seroprevalence in Mexico overall and for five vaccine types. We used a nationally representative survey with 7236 dried blood spot samples for adults 18 years and older collected from August to November 2021. Anti‐N and anti‐S seroprevalence were estimated adjusting for the sensitivity and specificity of the immunoassay test. A multivariate Poisson regression model was used to estimate seroprevalence by vaccine type and by age group adjusting for confounders and test performance. Vaccination coverage was 74%, being higher in women compared to men, high socioeconomic status (SES) compared to low and middle SES, graduates compared to people with high school, and formal workers compared to other employment statuses. Anti‐N seroprevalence was 59.2%, compared to 84.1% anti‐S seroprevalence. Anti‐S seroprevalence was higher for vaccinated than unvaccinated participants. All vaccines were associated with more than 70% anti‐S seroprevalence, with the lowest being observed for CoronaVac and Ad5‐nCoV. Fully vaccinated participants over 60 years presented a lower seroprevalence (77.6%) compared to younger adults (91.1%), with larger differences for ChAdOx1 and CoronaVac vaccines. Between August and November 2021, three out of four Mexican adults had been vaccinated. Vaccination was associated with a higher positivity to anti‐S antibodies. While antibodies do not reflect immunity, our results suggest that booster doses should be offered to people over 60 years of age and to adults who received Ad5‐nCoV or CoronaVac as primary vaccination schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our study analyzes the cost-effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru. Methods: Using a previously published SVEIR model, we analyzed the impact of a vaccination campaign (2021) from a national healthcare perspective. The primary outcomes were quality adjusted life years (QALYs) lost and total costs. Other outcomes included COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and life years. We applied a discount rate of 3% for health outcomes. We modeled a realistic vaccination campaign in each country (the realistic country-specific campaign). Additionally, we assessed a standard campaign (similar, "typical" for all countries), and an optimized campaign (similar in all countries with higher but plausible population coverage). One-way deterministic sensitivity analyses were performed. Findings: Vaccination was health improving as well as cost-saving in almost all countries and scenarios. Our analysis shows that vaccination in this group of countries prevented 573,141 deaths (508,826 standard; 685,442 optimized) and gained 5.07 million QALYs (4.53 standard; 6.03 optimized). Despite the incremental costs of vaccination campaigns, they had a total net cost saving to the health system of US$16.29 billion (US$16.47 standard; US$18.58 optimized). The realistic (base case) vaccination campaign in Chile was the only scenario, which was not cost saving, but it was still highly cost-effective with an ICER of US$22 per QALY gained. Main findings were robust in the sensitivity analyses. Interpretation: The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in seven Latin American and Caribbean countries -that comprise nearly 80% of the region- was beneficial for population health and was also cost-saving or highly cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico has a history of power struggles and a culture of bad governance. Corruption in Mexico is deeply rooted and very difficult to deal with. This culture is fully supported by most politicians and people in various sectors. Mexico is trapped in a long-term case of corruption that has become a political system normalized by its citizens. This article explores the dynamics of corruption cases in Latin America. This article explains the level of corruption, the type of corruption, and its causes. Corruption continues to run rampant because people live in accordance with it. The best solution to overcome this problem is to overthrow the regime. Mexico's anti-corruption law has been ineffective. Furthermore, high corruption has built distrust in the society, which makes the refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a world being hit by waves of COVID-19, vaccination is a light on the horizon. However, the roll-out of vaccination strategies and their influence on the pandemic are still open questions. In order to compare the effect of various strategies proposed by the World Health Organization and other authorities, a previously developed SEIRS stochastic model of geographical spreading of the virus is extended by adding a compartment for vaccinated people. The parameters of the model were fitted to describe the pandemic evolution in Argentina, Mexico and Spain to analyze the effect of the proposed vaccination strategies. The mobility parameters allow to simulate different social behaviors (e.g. lock-down interventions). Schemes in which vaccines are applied homogeneously in all the country, or limited to the most densely-populated areas, are simulated and compared. The second strategy is found to be more effective. Moreover, under the current global shortage of vaccines, it should be remarked that immunization is enhanced when mobility is reduced. Additionally, repetition of vaccination campaigns should be timed considering the immunity lapse of the vaccinated (and recovered) people. Finally, the model is extended to include the effect of isolation of detected positive cases, shown to be important to reduce infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]