[ad_1]
The coordinator of the vaccination plan against covid-19 today defended the postponement of taking the second dose to allow the vaccination of more than 200 thousand people until the end of March.
“At my request, the General Directorate of Health and Infarction is studying whether we can extend this period by two weeks, in order to anticipate the vaccination of some 200 thousand people. It is very important for the 70% of the protection it can provide. Reinforcing the vaccination one or two weeks later will hardly make much difference in the defense process of the person who has already been vaccinated with the first dose, ”admitted Vice Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo.
In the framework of a hearing at the Health Commission, in the Assembly of the Republic, Henrique Gouveia e Melo stressed that “the anticipation of vaccination should be privileged for various reasons”, among which the objective of the European Union to have 80% of the population over 80 years vaccinated at the end of the first trimester.
“And because it is a good principle: 70% protection is better than 0% protection for 200 thousand people in an extended period,” he reiterated, assuming the current uncertainty in achieving this objective: “It is a concern, not I am sure that we will be able to reach the goal given the amount of vaccines we have ”.
In Portugal, 16,086 people died from 799,106 confirmed cases of infection, according to the most recent bulletin from the Directorate General of Health.
[ad_2]
