The Minister of Health, Maria Begona Yarzaaffirmed that the Government is carrying out ”all negotiations at the multilateral level” for guarantee the acquisition of vaccines against monkey pox; a disease that was detected for the first time on June 17 in Chile, decreeing a health alert by order of the Minsal the same day, and since then they have been confirmed 68 cases to date.
“We are carrying out all the steps at the multilateral level in conjunction with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization for the acquisition of vaccines”assured the minister in an activity for the World Breastfeeding Week.
”At the same time, (…) we are developing jointly with the intersection; with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the steps for the purchase of vaccines”added the health authority.
Regarding the future inoculation plan against monkeypox, the minister confirmed that she will be advised through recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunizations (Cavei).
“We are waiting for the Cavei to communicate with me, with the ministry, to give us the recommendations,” Yarza closed.
The 5th dose of vaccine for COVID-19 is confirmed
Along the same lines as the vaccination plans in our country, Minister Yarza stressed that there will be a fifth booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccineHowever, he emphasized that it is not contemplated in the short term.
In the middle of her questioning in the Chamber of Deputies, the minister assured:
“Without a doubt, we will have a booster dose that we will call the fifth, but no one could think that we are not going to vaccinate more from covid.”
Given this, experts advise that the vaccine contain the Omicron strains, said the virologist and academic of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile, Vivian Luchsinger: ”Go updating the vaccines, incorporating the new variants, that requires a new dose”.
That is why the Government proposes to provide bivalent injections, that is, that incorporate not only the classic variant, but also its most frequent mutations.
Now, the minister explained that it is not immediately necessary to start a fifth inoculation, since the fourth proved to be very efficient:
”What we saw is that the third dose was effective up to 6 months and then it began to fall. But when we look at it now, people who have 2 booster doses, what we call a fourth dose, at 6 months are great as a response.”keep going, “It seems that the effective coverage is not the same when one has 1 booster dose, than when one has 2 booster doses. So, the immunity is lasting more than 6 months”stressed Yarza.
However, the COVID-19 vaccine “came to stay”, affirms the authority. In fact, he explained that the population will most likely need to be vaccinated permanently but it will have to be defined on what dates and to whom the vaccines will be given. For comparison, the coronavirus inoculation will be like the annual flu shot.