The Ministry of Health advanced the booster vaccination schedule once morest COVID-19 and reported that the division by groups will no longer apply, so that every adult with more than six months of having completed their basic scheme can now receive the booster dose.
In a circular sent to state health directors, single health authorities and other health area coordinators, dated January 18, the Immunization Directorate notified the modification of the booster dose application schedule and indicated that it is due to the “exponential increase” of cases generated by the variant omicron.
«As of January 17 of the current, the reinforcement vaccines will be placed to all people who request it at any vaccination center, the only condition is to have received the last dose of the basic scheme six months ago or more and present your vaccination card, regardless of age, occupation or associated factors, “says the document.
According to the previous schedule, which included health personnel from January 3 and those over 60 years of age from January 10, the week of January 17 they would incorporate people between 19 and 59 years old with two or more comorbidities.
According to the original calendar, security officials would be added on January 24 and in February the booster would be available to the rest of the population with more than six months of vaccination, so Venezuela accelerated the implementation of the booster plan and shortened two weeks.
Venezuela registered this January 18 the highest daily number of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with Caracas and Miranda as the places with the most infections. This January 19, from the Ministry of Health reported through social networks that, given the increase in cases, “increasing the capacity of beds in health centers is being studied.”
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) also called on the Venezuelan authorities to take into account the level of transmission and hospital occupation as guides for taking control measures, such as the implementation of quarantine.
