Five million people over the age of 50 are missing for the third dose. Vaccination will be mandatory for employees of public establishments.
Given the growing circulation of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which triggered the number of infections in the last three weeks, and is already beginning to be felt in the death figures – in the last report there were 69 deaths – the Government set the priority of improve coverage of anticovid booster doses and established mandatory vaccination for all employees of public establishments.
These new measures come just as the fatality curve begins to rise. Last week, from December 30 to January 5, 274 deaths were reported and in the current week, from January 6 to 12, there were 389. This represents an increase of 41.97% in deaths (see infographic).
For this reason, it is essential for the Government to reinforce the vaccination of populations at risk. Recently, the Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz, assured that regarding five million adults over 50 years of age have not yet applied their third dose – or second, in the case of those who injected the Janssen single-dose.
Getting those over 50 to apply the reinforcements remains a priority in public health, as age continues to be a key vulnerability factor once morest covid-19.
“For those older population groups, the strategy must be to convince the rest of the family. This issue is more important than scaring them or treating them like fools, ”said Diego Rosselli, a doctor and professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Universidad Javeriana.
Booster vaccination once morest covid-19
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“Sometimes these people don’t have someone to take them to get vaccinated. In several municipalities an active search has been launched in the sidewalks, bringing them with ambulances to the towns or with volunteers who are willing to help ”, added Rosselli.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, since the booster vaccination began in Colombia, 3,945,749 doses have been applied throughout the national territory.
Now, following President Iván Duque announced that everyone over 18 years of age will be able to receive this anticovid booster four months following having completed their vaccination schedule, coverage is expected to increase faster in the coming weeks.
Effectiveness once morest omicron
Because the appearance of the omicron variant is relatively recent, there are still doubts regarding the protection offered by vaccines once morest mild and severe cases caused by this form of the virus.
However, there is evidence that shows that vaccines continue to work to mitigate their severity, although omicron has shown that it has the ability to continue infecting the population that is already vaccinated.
“It has been found that the omicron variant does decrease the protection (of the vaccines), especially if the reinforcement has not been applied to prevent infections, but they are very effective in preventing serious forms,” said Julián Fernández, director of Epidemiology and Demography of the Ministry of Health.
Likewise, the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that the protection of anticovid vaccines is reduced “modestly” six months following they are applied, which is why the reinforcement is necessary for all people.
Pressure on the unvaccinated
The Government is not only seeking to increase the application of anticovid booster doses, but is increasingly limiting the scope of action of those not vaccinated.
This Wednesday it was learned that the Ministry of Labor issued a circular with new guidelines for employers who have establishments open to the public.
The regulations establish that workers in these places must be vaccinated and will have to “present their card to the employer that proves it.”
The text argues that vaccination “not only constitutes a preventive measure for the individual himself, but also a health one to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.”
In addition, the Ministry of Labor asked employers to establish biosafety protocols for “the protection of life and safety” of their workers. This includes, of course, the requirement of vaccination once morest the coronavirus, but also the implementation of hygiene measures such as the use of masks and good ventilation of the establishments.
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