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Medellín ends the week with 4,228 active cases of coronavirus and amid curfew restrictions, dry law and peak and ID, the city prepares for the distribution of the vaccine against covid-19. At the forefront of this process is the Secretary of the Government of Medellín, Esteban Restrepo, who in dialogue with EL COLOMBIANO revealed the logistics that the city will have to distribute the doses, what each citizen must do to be vaccinated and the guidelines still pending by the National Government to execute the expected immunization of the population.
How is the vaccination process going in Medellín?
“The logistics and resources are ready. It was agreed that the vaccine leaves the plant abroad and reaches Bogotá or one of the seven regional points that the country will have, but that they have not been confirmed by the National Government. We believe that the vaccine will arrive directly at airports in cities such as Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Pereira … In the case of Medellín, this city will be a regional center to distribute the vaccine in Antioquia and Chocó ”.
What exactly will arrive in Medellín?
“7 Pfizer freezers will arrive, set up by the Government. They are a kind of cellars at -70 degrees of temperature, which will be in Guayabal and Campo Valdés, the points where the municipal cellars that traditionally store any vaccine are located. From those cellars, the biological one is going to leave in refrigerators towards the 94 IPS – Health Provider Institutions – that we have in Medellín, including the townships, 50% are public IPS from Metrosalud and 50% private. In those refrigerators the vaccine can be up to 5 days without damage ”.
How many vaccines will arrive in the city?
“In February we expect the Pfizer / BioNTech batch to arrive. 1,700,000 vaccines will arrive in the country in this first phase, and in Antioquia we expect 800,000 doses, but we do not know how many of those will remain in Medellín, the figure must be determined by the Government. One can make an average: if Medellín has 40% of the department’s population, we expect a little more than 300 thousand vaccines to arrive, but it is just speculation, there is still no official dose figure for Medellín ”.
How will the vaccine be given?
“The government has many databases: of health personnel, of uninsured personnel, of contributors to the health regime, etc. Some of those databases are up to date and some are not. U.S. with Medellin takes care of me we know who the prioritized people are and where they are, and also, thanks to EPM’s public services account, we know who their family members are and that will be essential for vaccination ”.
In other words, will it be mandatory to be registered in Medellín Me Cuida?
“It will not be a requirement to access the vaccine, but more than 95% of the population of Medellín is already registered.”
So what role does the controversial platform play?
“Medellin takes care of me will be at the service of the databases of the National Government to refine the list of the population. In other words, the Government may have a database from 3 or 4 years ago where a person changed his address or telephone number. That updated information is in Medellin takes care of me and thus we will guarantee that a person who needs the vaccine is called. The idea is to send a text message or make a pre-recorded call to schedule the vaccine. It can be to the beneficiary or to their relatives ”.
How much will it cost Medellín to apply the vaccine to all its inhabitants?
“We have a budget of 20,000 million pesos. We hope to be efficient and that the private sector, IPS and EPS do their job in the best way. What has to be clear is that in the end it will be the National Government that assumes that cost. We hope that this budget will be a loan to save lives and then that the money will return to Medellín. The Government must guarantee the logistics of vaccination to the public and private IPS ”.
What obligations does the mayor’s office have in the vaccination process?
“The territorial entities will be in charge of the recruitment and training of vaccination personnel, of guaranteeing the supply chain and logistics from when the vaccine arrives in the country until it is applied. In addition, we are going to coordinate the citizens to guarantee that they get the second dose ”.
What is that supply chain?
“The first stage will be for the work of the first line of care of the pandemic, in Medellín there are approximately 14,000 people. In addition, adults over 80 years of age who, according to our database, number 76,404. In the second stage of vaccination, it will be the population between 60 and 79 years of age and health workers from the second line of care for covid-19, which adds another 416,000 people. In the third stage, people between 16 and 59 years old with comorbidities and elementary and high school teachers, that is, 340,809 people, will be vaccinated. And in stages 4 and 5, the rest of the institutional staff, the population at risk and people without comorbidities between 16 and 59 years old will be vaccinated. At this stage we do not yet have an estimate of how many people there are because we depend on the National Government ”.
Where does the number of people to be vaccinated come from at each stage?
“From the government’s assurance database, from Ruaf – Unique Affiliation Registry – and from Medellin takes care of me. We cross these data and we get the previous figures ”.
How long will the vaccine take?
“We have a rough estimate. If in Medellín we do it with all the installed capacity, the first stage of vaccination will be done in 10 or 12 days and the second stage in a month and a half ”.
What requirements will a person have to get vaccinated, in addition to what the National Government ruled?
“The government is going to deliver the vaccine to health institutions for those who have direct contact with those infected, they will be vaccinated as determined by each health center and MinSalud. We are not going to contact that first line ”.
But if an 80-year-old man is in a Medellín commune, what should he do?
“You only have to be 80 to be prioritized. That adult must already be in an assurance database, if they have an EPS. You can also register in the government App called My Vaccine.com or should be in Medellin takes care of me”.
Will it be a free vaccine in Medellín?
“It is free for the entire population at all stages.”
Who has already received covid-19 will they be vaccinated?
Yes, but not in the early stages. Those who have not had covid will be prioritized. If you are 80 years old or are health personnel and you have already received coronavirus, you will not be vaccinated in the first stage, but in others at the end of the chain. “
Will there be metropolitan vaccination?
“Each mayor of Valle de Aburrá will make his vaccination plan. The freezers that we will have in Medellín will serve the other 124 municipalities of Antioquia and, therefore, the distribution will be specified with the Government ”.
Are the children going to be vaccinated?
“No. The vaccine will be given from 16 years of age ”. (See X-ray)
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