Health estimates that in April the vaccination of the healthy population will begin and two new shipments of Sinovac are expected

First it was the health personnel, then the older adults over 60 years old and currently -and by age- it is the turn of patients between 59 and 18 years of age with underlying diseases.

More than a month after the massive vaccination plan against Covid-19 began, out of the 138,908 people not yet prioritized who have already received the injection – according to figures from the Department of Health Statistics and Information (DEIS) -, the calendar immunization has proceeded as stipulated and with a speed ‘much more accelerated’ than originally projected. Y Before starting the campaign, 100,000 inoculated daily were projected, today government figures show that this was widely exceeded. This has allowed the inclusion of new patients, such as people with dialysis, transplants, with disabilities, and those with a mental health diagnosis.

That same slack helped Chile to donate 20,000 vaccines to Ecuador and Paraguay last weekend.This cooperation could eventually be extended to other countries in the region that are part of Prosur. However, the recognition that most celebrated in Health and La Moneda came yesterday, when according to data from Our World In Data, Chile positioned itself as the country that has administered the most daily doses of vaccine per 100 inhabitants in the last seven days. It, surpassing Israel, which until now led the world in immunization against the coronavirus.

“I congratulate the team of the National Immunization Program (PNI), I also congratulate mayors and mayors, but mainly health officials, who have made every effort to get vaccinated, and the Chilean population that has come with interest, with joy, about all to older adults. Of course, I am very concerned about the increase in casesIn no way does one have to relax, a large number of cases may come to hospital and for that we are preparing, ”said Paris.

However, in terms of the inoculation plan, the outlook for the coming weeks is optimistic. At the closing of this edition, 4,225,613 people were already listed as vaccinated; of those, 864,070 already with the second dose. And if the immunization of five million people with at least the first dose -and three million with the complete scheme- projected for the end of March, the number of covered population could rise if the rhythm is maintained. And if that is true, the healthy population without comorbidities could be getting vaccinated at the beginning of April -by age criterion- or even earlier.

“For the population without comorbidities, vaccination will begin on April 1, we maintain that. But we do not want to vary it until we have clearer results of the campaign, we are not going to evaluate it before having the five million immunized. I think I would prefer to advance risk groups, or what smaller populations are requiring vaccines. We have to think healthily, for example: children are Down syndrome (over 16) or with congenital pathologies “, explains the minister.

On the start of the campaign against influenza, Paris confirms that this process will begin once the second dose of the first vaccination groups is completed, in April. “And there we have the advantage that we are going to start with another group that is not being inoculated now, such as children, pregnant women and health personnel,” he concludes.

From the Central Nacional de Abastecimiento (Cenabast), its director, Valentín Díaz -who have been in charge of importing the shipments of doses from the Sinovac laboratory to Chile- confirms that in the middle of the month, On March 20, a new shipment will arrive from China with about 2,100,000 doses, regarding the extension of the contract that the head of the sanitary portfolio confirmed a few weeks ago.

“The one who manages the contracts is the Undersecretariat of Economic Relations of the Chancellery, but what is prepared is a flight for March 20 with two million more vaccines. The 10 million initial committed doses have already arrived, in five flights, and everything has gone well (with the laboratory) ”, confirms Díaz, who also points out that there will be a seventh shipment, not yet dated, but probably similar in volume.

This new shipment would expand the initial agreement from 10 million doses to almost 14 million, after Third inform delays and stagnation of the pre-agreement that the government maintains with the Johnson & Johnson laboratory for four million vaccines.

Also, and about the time between doses, Today the Institute of Public Health (ISP) confirmed that the interval of injections for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was changed, from 21 days to 28 days. The decision – they comment from the ISP – standardizes the waiting time between the two vaccines that are available in the country.

“With that, both vaccines (Sinovac and Pfizer) are adjusted to a schedule. According to studies (not from the laboratory), the Pfizer vaccine could have a dose distance of even 90 days ”, comments the director of the regulatory entity, Heriberto García.