Entrevistas
Minsal expands vaccination against COVID-19 to new target groups
- abril 25, 2023
- Publicado por: ACCDIS
- Categoría: ACCDiS in Media News Noticia destacada
The measure will be effective from Wednesday, April 26th.
All people from 12 years of age, including pregnant women, can be inoculated with the bivalent vaccine, regardless of their health condition, and children from six months to three years of age can be inoculated with the primary scheme.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Health, Ximena Aguilera, together with the Undersecretary of Public Health, Andrea Albagli and the Undersecretary of Health Care Networks, Fernando Araos, who were accompanied by Dr. Jaime Rodríguez, president of the Advisory Council on Vaccines and Immunization (Cavei) and Dr. Catterina Ferreccio, president of the National Pandemic Response Commission.
The Minister of Health said that this decision was made after considering the recommendations of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), Cavei and the CNRP. «The announcements respond to a request that has been made from different points of view and from different groups and patients who have requested to be vaccinated, as we know that the bivalent COVID vaccine is not present in the market. We are also following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the availability of the vaccine in case of need, depending on the epidemiological condition», said the authority.
He added that «although we have been in an open phase since October last year for COVID-19, we are still in a pandemic and the vaccination coverage we have achieved as a country has helped us to maintain it».
Undersecretary Andrea Albagli, for her part, emphasized that «we need people over 60 years of age to be vaccinated as soon as possible with the vaccine against COVID-19 but also against Influenza. We are multiplying our efforts to reach all this population with the dupla».
He added that the inoculation of children under 3 years of age is very important, since the vaccine is safe and reduces the risks of contracting the virus, becoming seriously ill, presenting Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome and dying. This dose should be administered alone, since co-administration with other vaccines is not recommended in this age range.
He also stated that parents or guardians can take their children to public and private vaccinatories in agreement with the Health Seremis. In the event that vaccination operations are carried out in educational establishments, parents or guardians must provide written authorization.
For his part, the Undersecretary of Health Care Networks, Fernando Araos, mentioned that «the Network is prepared to speed up the vaccination process that we are expanding today. The call is for people to get vaccinated in order to be protected before the harshest winter».
He added that «the budgetary framework contemplates resources of more than 20 billion pesos to reinforce the winter campaign throughout the network. As of April, more than 14 billion pesos have already been transferred throughout the territory».
According to the data provided by the Undersecretary, it is evident that, when comparing the previous week with the current one, there has been an increase in emergency care for respiratory causes. Likewise, the Central-North and Central-South macro-zones show higher levels of attention than in previous years. Also, hospitalizations due to respiratory causes in children showed an increase compared to the previous week in all subgroups from 0 to 15 years of age.
The authorities reiterated the call for people to be vaccinated as soon as possible against Covid-19 and also against influenza. With the latter, the following should be vaccinated: health personnel, education workers, people over 65 years of age, children from 6 months to 5th grade, pregnant women and all those who suffer from a chronic disease. Those who are part of the target groups do not need any certificate or document to access the vaccine and can do so in any of the more than 1,340 vaccinatories available.