The Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Carlos Mellado, recognized today that it will be “difficult” to vaccinate 70% of the population towards the end of the summer due to the small flow of doses the country has received.
During a press conference, the official indicated that the country is currently receiving some 41,450 vaccines against him COVID-19 weekly, so it will be difficult to vaccinate 70% of the population. This figure is recommended by experts and health organizations to achieve herd or collective immunity.
“I wouldn’t venture to mention a date because, like the other states, we are waiting for an increase in the amount of vaccines to Puerto Rico. And that can change as the amount increases. At the moment it is very difficult mathematically, ”said Mellado. In December, General José Juan Reyes estimated that they would vaccinate 70% of the population between July and August.
He admitted that while he doesn’t know when the number of vaccines the island will get will increase, they expect it to happen in late February.
To date, the official indicated that there are approximately 321,955 vaccines distributed across the island. While the country has received about 352,050 vaccines.
“With 41,050 [vacunas] That goal is difficult to achieve, especially when we know that we have over 600,000 patients at this 65-year or more stage and we are still running the first-aider phases that are also included in the centers. We also have teachers, ”he noted, who also said a flow of a little over 80,000 to 90,000 vaccines weekly to achieve herd immunity by the end of summer.
Mellado could not say how many people aged 65 and over have been vaccinated so far. He indicated that approximately 600,000 people in Puerto Rico are 65 or older.
Mellado, for his part, indicated that they are trying to increase vaccination rates among people 65 or older, so they are considering narrowing the margin of vaccines provided to emergency responders and educators.
“What we’ve been talking about is narrowing the margin of the amount of vaccines a little bit. Until today, this week, we didn’t have to do it because we held onto it 7,000 vaccines that we are going to use in the 196 suggestsHe added.
The official pointed out that starting this week, about 7,000 vaccines will be distributed to the National Guard for the inoculation of about 196 auspices and care centers that may have been left out of the vaccination led by pharmaceutical companies Walgreens and CVS to these facilities. .
Mellado even pointed out that Walgreens and CFS started vaccinating people 65 or older in their pharmacy, despite these institutions not completing vaccination in long-term care centers. The official said that Walgreens has been vaccinated since last Friday 1,970 patientswhile CVS – which started Thursday – has vaccinated 350 patients. Likewise, Mellado indicated that the College of Surgeons has vaccinated itself 531 patients bedridden who are not in long-term care facilities.
Mellado in turn assured that all municipalities on the island have a vaccination center. However, in light of complaints about the lack of vaccines in municipalities in the center of the island, the official argued that due to insufficient vaccines, they provided only 300 doses to each of these vaccination centers.
“The number of vaccines had to be reduced. Many of them want me to give them 400 and 500 vaccines and I can’t. I can’t deliver more than 300 vaccines per center. We can’t do it because there are 41,450 vaccines. [semanales], yes all cities in the [Centros] 330 in particular Naranjito … and the Mountain Comprehensive Health Center, are getting vaccines. It’s not the amount they might want because we can’t give it to them, ”the secretary said at the end of the conference.