As soon as she had the opportunity to be vaccinated against Covid, Bruna Alexandre, 26, did not hesitate. The table tennis player from Santa Catarina was eager to receive the vaccine and ensure her presence at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, from August 24th to September 5th.
Not even her traumatic history on the subject made her harbor any doubts. When she was three months old a badly administered vaccine hit a nerve, caused necrosis in the region and forced the amputation of her right arm.
None of this bothered her when, through the Brazilian Olympic Committee, it became possible to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. "I was the first to register the COB." The relief was great when she finally got the first dose.
Protection against Sars-CoV-2 was another step on her difficult path to Japan. Because of the pandemic, the table tennis player was isolated for four months in the first half of 2020, unable to train with other athletes.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon