Minsal expands target groups for bivalent vaccination amid criticism for low inoculation | National

Next Monday, January 16, people from the age of 50 will be included for vaccination with bivalent doses. Likewise, from the Minsal they announced that other target groups may also be inoculated from that date with this vaccine.

In the midst of criticism from mayors and ex-authorities, due to coverage and low inoculation, this Thursday the Ministry of Health He reported that the target population for vaccination with bivalent dose is expanded.

This measure will come into effect from Next Monday, January 16.

“Since October of last year, we have been using the bivalent vaccine. We have achieved a vaccination coverage of the risk group of around 27%, and indeed we need to reinforce our actions to increase that vaccination coverage”, said the Minister of Health, Ximena Aguilera.

Specific, people from the age of 50 will be included; with severe and profound disabilities (registered in the National Disability Registry); caregivers of dependent patients (Preferential Law); population in closed centers of Sename; officials in critical functions in the State; essential personnel for direct attention to citizens and essential functions in basic service companies.

Thus, it will also join the law enforcement and security forces, the Armed Forces and Onemi, Conaf and Firefighters; kindergarten educators and people who perform functions in nurseries and kindergartens; teachers and directors of preschool, basic and secondary education; Gendarmerie personnel and persons deprived of liberty; personnel of transport companies: land, air and sea.

Bivalent dose vaccination

The Secretary of State also said that they are going to strengthen the vaccination campaign for this. “We think this is very good news for people who want to continue taking care of themselves,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Undersecretary of Public Health, Cristóbal Cuadrado, stressed that “international evidence today shows that these vaccines are very safe and effective (…) this decision is made in the context that we are experiencing a pandemic that has not left us yet, the The virus changes over time, which implies risks that we may have new outbreaks in the coming months, for which we want our population to be as protected as possible.”

From the Minsal they indicated that additional resources will be delivered from the Government to improve vaccination rates and enable more than 950 vaccination points from Arica to Magallanes, and will reinforce with health personnel.

“We will deliver additional resources to the communes, to the 29 health services, with the aim of reinforcing and ensuring the vaccination of the more than 8 million people who fall into these priority groups,” said the Undersecretary of Assistance Networks, Fernando Araos. .

In conversation with Radio Bío Bío, the undersecretary of Cuadrado said that “we have to be prepared because this pandemic does not leave us; and international experience shows that these vaccines significantly reduce, by more than 80%, the risk of having a serious illness, such as being hospitalized and dying. That is why we want to give a new impetus to this vaccination campaign”.

When asked about the low percentage of vaccination with the bivalent dose, the health authority pointed out that “we are making every effort to grow, without a doubt we cannot stay at this number, there is no doubt about that.”

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