Doria Medina: The fight against cancer is made from the strength that your loved ones give you.

The Bolivian businessman and politician talked to Página Siete Digital about that stage and his new projects, among them the support to the fight against this disease.

Hours after revealing that he has been facing cancer since last year, the Bolivian businessman and politician talked to Página Siete Digital about this stage, his present and his future.   

Samuel Doria Medina is clear that the strength of the family is key in this battle and he knows it because he sheltered himself with that factor. 

In this context, he makes it clear that he is back and plans many projects, among them the support to the fight against this disease.

How did you receive the news of the cancer?  

Of course it was bad news. The first reaction is one of disbelief, but immediately afterwards you know that you have to put yourself in the hands of the doctors.   

What was the reaction of your family?  

I am really grateful to my family, who have supported me in every way. I would say that the fight against this disease, to a large extent, is done from the strength that your loved ones give you.   

What was the hardest part of the treatment?  

The side effects of chemotherapy. There are days when you can't lift your eyelids. On those days, what remains is faith, family and hope.   

Was it an early detection?  

Yes. And in that, it's good for all of us to remember the enormous importance of being alert and having regular check-ups. That is one of the things I have learned. The importance of prevention.   

How long ago was the disease detected?  

I was detected last year.   

How do you see the Bolivian health system, do you think it is ready to fight cancer?  

In Bolivia there are many talented professionals with a great humanistic vocation in medicine. However, there are still great challenges in technology and above all in access for all to quality medicine.   

You were diagnosed with cancer in the middle of the pandemic. How did you cope with the disease during the peaks of contagion?  

Following the doctors' recommendations and, as I said, with the support of my family and many friends.   

What activities did you have to put on hold because of the treatment?  

There was a moment, the weeks of chemotherapy, when it was very difficult to do any activity. Thank God, my teams have been up to the challenges, since I am promoting a moment of strong investment in our country. For example, with the construction of Green Tower in La Paz, the tallest tower in Bolivia and one of the most modern in Latin America, a project that has generated a lot of employment for thousands and thousands of Bolivian families, and therefore, a project that could not stop.   

What habits changed in your life?  

The truth is that after the chemotherapy stage I have returned to practically all my activities.   

What can you rescue from this stage?  

The value of family, friends, the importance of hope and my commitment stronger than ever to support the fight against cancer in our country.  

Covid-19: In two years it claimed more than 21,000 lives and the dose covered 55% of the population.

 The country has so far endured four waves of coronavirus and the hope for controlling this disease is immunization. By 2022, the government plans to conduct an immunization study. PAHO calls not to lower our guard in the fight against the disease.

On March 10, 2020, Bolivians received the news, plunged into fear and uncertainty, that two women from abroad had tested positive for Covid-19, the new threat to the health of the population on a global scale.

In two years, the coronavirus pandemic mourned thousands of Bolivian families by claiming the lives of more than 21,000 people in the country.

The virus exposed shortcomings in the health system, which little by little have been addressed to face the emergency and save lives, but so far the main shield has been vaccination, which in just over a year covered 55.4% of the population with a complete vaccination schedule. 

According to data from the Ministry of Health, out of a target population of 10,218,215 people over 5 years of age, 5,666,658 have the complete vaccination schedule to date, which means a coverage of 55.4%.

National data show that more than 12.7 million vaccines have been administered up to this Tuesday, March 8, of which 5,979,160 correspond to first doses; 4,671,967 to second doses; 994,961 to single doses; and 1,090,054 to third doses.

Of all age groups, those with the highest coverage with both doses are those over 60 years of age, with 75%, after health personnel; while those with the lowest coverage are those under 18 years of age, with 30.5%. However, this group is now being prioritized in view of the proximity of the return to face-to-face classes. 

Deaths

To date, the country has faced four waves of coronavirus, which left more than 21,000 fatalities, of which more than 9,000 were recorded in the first year of the pandemic.

Of the total number of deaths, 7,200 were recorded in Santa Cruz, which was one of the hardest hit regions with the highest number of cases. 

At the beginning of this year, the Santa Cruz region bore the worst blow in terms of the accelerated number of infections. January 2022 is the month with the highest incidence of cases in the entire pandemic, as it closed with 84,430 positives, as a result of a galloping fourth wave caused by the Omicron variant. Cases tripled those reported in January 2021, which until the end of the previous administration remained the month with the highest incidence.

Regarding deaths, authorities observed a change in the 'profile' of the deceased from the peak of the third wave, that is, since June last year, when deaths began to occur mainly in people who were not vaccinated or who received only one dose. 

This became more noticeable in the last wave, when records showed that 95% of the deceased were unvaccinated people.

The head of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of San Juan de Dios, Andrés Martínez, remarked that most of the people who arrive at this service and who have the least chance of survival are those with one or more underlying diseases and those who do not have the complete vaccination schedule. 

In turn, the coordinator of the Japanese dome, Richy Hurtado, indicated that the waves have had their particularities and in the last ones it has been seen that there are more and more young people with complications, most of them without the protection dose, that is why they encourage people to seek the protection dose.

More vaccines

The general director of Epidemiology, Freddy Armijo, said that at the beginning of 2022 a study will be carried out to identify the immunity of the vaccinated population and if the results show that the levels of protection have decreased, the entire population will be immunized again. "No one knows what will happen with vaccine immunity in the world by next year," he remarked. 

On the other hand, the Ministry of Health decided to authorize the application of fourth doses for people suffering from some basic disease, according to the head of this office, Jeyson Auza.

He also explained that those who need to travel abroad will also receive the second booster (fourth dose), although the national government's priority is to vaccinate people who have not received any vaccination to date.

"Our priority is people who have not yet been vaccinated with any dose. Vaccination is enabled for all age groups, for any booster dose, the fourth dose has been authorized for certain age groups," said the authority.

For his part, Armijo added that the application of third doses will also be prioritized, because to date only one million booster doses have been applied.

Call for not lowering our guard

Reflecting on the past two years of the pandemic and at a time when measures are being lifted in many parts of the Americas, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne warned countries that it is too soon to let their guard down.

"When places relax measures at the wrong time, transmission spikes dangerously and we lose more lives," Etienne said and urged countries to base their decisions on risk assessments and health data, as well as to strengthen measures if cases increase.

"Covid-19 is likely here to stay. We must learn to live with this virus and adapt quickly to new changes," the PAHO director added. 

He said the Americas have been hit harder than any other region of the world, with more than 2.6 million lives lost, half of all global deaths. "This is a tragedy of enormous proportions, and its effects will be felt for years to come," she added. 

She also warned that "the pandemic remains a threat," as countries experienced record numbers of new infections during the wave of the Omicron variant, with the Americas accounting for 63% of new global cases in the first two months of 2022 alone. 

The PAHO director also called for addressing the inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, noting that in Latin America and the Caribbean, 248 million people have yet to receive a single dose of the anticoviral vaccine, particularly those in hard-to-reach rural areas and underserved communities.

For his part, infectologist Juan Saavedra remarked that the pandemic is not under control and that it cannot be ruled out that more variants will emerge, as there are countries with vaccination coverage of less than 40 percent and this generates a risk of new variants.

"At this moment it is hasty to think that the disease is under control and that new variants of concern are not going to circulate," he remarked.