COVID-19: Uruguay approved third dose for people over 60 vaccinated with Pfizer or AstraZeneca

The Uruguayan Ministry of Public Health (MSP) on Wednesday approved the application of a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 to all over 60 years that they already have the complete regimen of this antiviral or AstraZeneca.

Based on the recommendation of the National Vaccine Advisory Commission and a group of experts, the MSP has approved “the administration of a third or booster dose to all persons over the age of 60 or more who have completed their initial vaccination schedule with two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca, starting six months after the last dose“the portfolio said in a statement.

El MSP I had already decided, at the end of July, offer a booster dose of Pfizer to anyone who has received the full Coronavac regimen, the vaccine from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac – already received by 55% of immunized Uruguayans -, considered less effective in preventing contagion of the new coronavirus.

More 600,000 people – 17% of the population – have already received their third dose.

The country of 3.5 million people has 76% of its population vaccinated with at least one dose against COVID-19, while 71% have the full regimen of Pfizer, Coronavac or AstraZeneca.

High vaccination rates have led to relative control of the pandemic, with a sharp drop in infections, deaths and hospitalizations in intensive care for COVID since June.

Last week, Uruguay continued five consecutive days without registration of deaths with a diagnosis of SARS CoV2, something that hadn’t happened since 2020. Since the start of the pandemic, it has accumulated 6,037 deaths and 385,926 cases of the new coronavirus.

The WHO moratorium on third doses

WHO asked again wednesday that people vaccinated against COVID-19 do not receive reminders and that vaccines are sent to poor countries that have only been able to immunize a small part of their population.

“For now, we do not want a generalization of booster doses for healthy and fully vaccinated people.“, Said the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a press conference.

“I will not remain silent when the companies and countries that control the global vaccine supply they think the world’s poor should be content with leftovers“, he underlined.

In August, the WHO chief wanted to declare a moratorium on recalls until the end of September, but several rich countries did not answer the call and launched their vaccination booster campaign, or third dose.

On Wednesday, Tedros called “to extend the moratorium at least until the end of 2021 so that each country can vaccinate at least 40% of its population”.

(With information from AFP)

Read on: