Graciela

COVID-19 Vaccine Support, Costa Rica

I’m working around the clock to ensure the vaccines are ready to be rolled out across the world – so those who need them most, can get them.

I’m Graciela.

I know that everyone has been affected by this pandemic in one way or another – for me the impact has been big, both personally and professionally.

My husband lost his father to COVID. Yet tragically, because we live in Costa Rica and my father-in-law lived in Nicaragua, we weren’t able to travel to be with him during his last days. It was a painful moment for all of us. Especially my husband, who feels as though this virus robbed him of his last memories of his own father.

For me, as someone working to help get countries ready for the COVID-19 vaccines, my own family’s sad loss was also a poignant reminder of what is at stake here. The truth is this: we want the vaccines to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. That doesn’t mean taking risks or cutting corners in any way; it means we need to collaborate on a massive scale.

Let’s not forget this is global challenge. It’s by working together across borders, that we’ve been able to develop the vaccines, quickly and safely. We want the roll-out to be just as successful. And I’ve been working every hour I can to make that happen. Anything I can do to get these vaccines out there to all countries, to protect those most at risk so that they don’t go through what my family has. 

Global and regional organisations are working with governments, regulators, pharmaceutical companies to deploy the vaccines. Everyone is coming together. Because no one can do it alone. As partners, parents, relatives, friends, and neighbors, we are working tirelessly to help get life back to normal for you and for us all.

Seeing this makes me proud of the work the pharmaceutical industry is doing, and committed to getting COVID-19 vaccines out there to protect entire communities.