How the vaccination plan works in Chile, the fastest vaccinating country in the world

Chile now occupies the world podium for the administration of the vaccine against the coronavirus, with an average of 1.67 doses per 100 inhabitants, surpassing the other “champion” in vaccination: Israel, with 1.20 doses.

Specifically, a total of 4,176,094 people have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Chile, which represents more than 21% of the population country total.

Among them, 772 389 have already received both doses.

How is the vaccination plan

The vaccination campaign deployed by Chilean health establishments is leader in Latin America, and one of the best in the world. Founds its success on extensive primary care network spread over a territory of more than 4,200 kilometers.

The other key factor is the competence in vaccine negotiation, which guaranteed 35 million doses, of which 10 million have already arrived in Chile, adding shipments of different laboratories, the Chinese contribution of Sinovac being the majority.

Chile began vaccinating in early February after receiving four million doses of the vaccine developed by Sinovac.

The country launched from day one a very neat diagram vaccination, week by week, indicating the priority groups, the days and the places where they should be vaccinated. This scheme became public so that it is accessible to the entire population.

Chile called its plan “I am getting vaccinated”, which kicked off the first week of February with healthcare staff, nursing home residents and the elderly between 90 years or more and 85 years.

The vaccines have been applied in hospitals, clinics, private and public vaccinations and in specially affected institutions.

Chile has given priority to the elderly, under the criterion that they tend to become sicker, to fall more seriously ill, to compromise the infrastructure of intensive care units and, in addition, to have a death rate. higher. “That’s why we put them first,” they explained from the government.

In the second week of February, the list of people to be vaccinated was extended to people between 84 and 71 years old, vaccinated in private and public vaccinations.

That same week, they could also be vaccinated:

• Essential staff functions attract the attention of citizens

• Security and order force personnel, armed forces deployed in the action plan against the coronavirus

• Staff performing critical government functions

The condition for receiving the vaccines was to present documents proving their activity.

The government then followed up with the elderly between 65 and 80 years old and, also, with those people who have chronic diseases.

Next on the list are the education workers and basic service personnel who “are essential for Chilean families”.

It is only then that the general population follows descending order of age.

The pandemic situation

Meanwhile, the pandemic is not stopping in Chile, albeit with declining numbers. On Tuesday, the ministry reported 3,528 new cases of COVID-19, easing for the second day in a row the rebound in infections that has been punishing the country in recent days, with peaks of over 5000 cases which had not been registered since June 2020.

The total number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic has reached 864,064, of which 28,317 are in the active stage and 814,088 are cured.

As for deaths, in the past 24 hours there have been 19 deaths from causes associated with COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 21,182 in the country.

Clarín editorial staff

ap