COVID-19: Government announces that the fourth dose vaccination process begins this coming Monday.
–From this Monday, January 10, immunocompromised people, over 12 years of age, who received their first booster dose until September 12, will be able to receive the fourth dose.
–As of the week of February 7, all people over 55 years of age who have received their first booster dose until August 15, 2021 will be able to access their second booster.
“The world and Chile have been suffering the devastating consequences of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 for more than two years and today, due to the new Omicron variant, the world is having record levels of infections,” said President Sebastián Piñera during the daily balance of the pandemic.
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| COVID-19: Government announces that the fourth dose vaccination process begins this coming Monday |
Along these lines, the Head of State stated that "experience has shown us that the efficacy of vaccines and also of boosters decreases over time and also with the appearance of new variants."
As a result of this context, the President announced that » starting next Monday, January 10, we are going to start a new mass vaccination process with a fourth dose or a second booster dose, which will start with immunocompromised people because they need to reinforce their scheme with greater urgency»
The country's highest authority added that "as of Monday, February 7, we are going to extend this vaccination to the entire population aged 55 and over who have completed six months since their previous dose."
President Piñera valued that "the success that Chile has had in the vaccination process and in protecting the health and life of all Chileans is a merit of all Chileans and places us among the best countries in the world in the way we that we have managed to combat this pandemic" and affirmed that "with this fourth dose we seek to maintain that leadership position, and protect the health and life of our compatriots."
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, emphasized that the application of the fourth dose "allows us to reinforce the response to those who already have 4 months since their first booster dose and thereby maintain immunity levels in the vaccinated population" .
The head of the portfolio stated that "we are beginning very quickly to deploy all our resources and logistics to deliver this new booster to immunosuppressed patients starting next Monday."
The Secretary of State assured that "stopping the increase in cases requires that we not lose the perception of risk against Covid" and added that "with two years of pandemic our perception may vary, and that the freedoms we have lead us to trust ourselves now believing that nothing will happen to us, that is not correct and we must modify it in the actions of each one of us”.
Along these lines, the highest health authority stated that vaccination has been the great tool in the entire world during the second part of this health crisis, however "receiving the corresponding vaccine is a complement to each one's personal care".
"Self-care measures do not replace vaccination, vaccination does not replace self-care, but complements each other," Minister Paris remarked.
Fourth dose vaccination schedule
The Undersecretary of Public Health, MarÃa Teresa Valenzuela, stated that "over the months, the effectiveness of the Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines is decreasing, and that is why the administration of the fourth dose is so relevant."
The authority added that “there is evidence at the population level and at the level of neutralizing antibodies, which suggests that the effectiveness of the boosters also falls over time, at a slower speed than what we see with primary schemes, but it is estimated that around 6 months after the reinforcement, the schemes used will have an effectiveness against Covid-19 of less than 60% ».
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