El Salvador began on Sunday to apply a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine to personnel facing the pandemic on the front line, to people with morbidities and adults over 60 years of age, among others.
President Nayib Bukele announced on his Twitter account that “taking into account the success of the third dose in Israel, we have decided to start with a third dose in El Salvador.”
Teachers of the public and private system, military and police, firefighters, Civil Protection personnel and employees of drugstores, pharmacies and laboratories may also receive the third dose.
To receive the drug, the Public Health authorities enabled the 162 immunization points throughout the country, the three self-services and the “Megacenter” in the new Hospital El Salvador in the capital of the Central American country.
The Minister of Public Health, Francisco Alabí, confirmed that the vaccination of children over six years of age and for all age groups is still enabled.
Irma Díaz, 60, was one of the first to receive the third dose at the Vaccination Megacenter.
“It is perfect that they attend to be vaccinated,” Mrs. Díaz told reporters, while congratulating President Bukele on his immunization plan.
“I made my appointment to receive the third dose because it is more important at this time when there are many infections, there are more patients than before,” said José Tomás Escamilla, 65, who arrived accompanied by one of his sons.
El Salvador applies the third dose at a time when the authorities have confirmed an increase in infections in the country, where several variants of the virus are already circulating, including the contagious Delta.
After having records of less than 100 cases a day, there are now more than 300 new cases and more than ten deaths a day. The report states that, of the 13,879 active cases, 99 people are in critical condition and 432 are serious.
So far the Central American country has registered 102,024 infections and 3,185 deaths. A total of 84,981 people have recovered.
El Salvador, the smallest nation in Latin America and with a population of 6.7 million, plans to immunize 5.7 million people. The country has received 11,920,490 doses in 36 shipments.
Since February 17, when vaccination began, the first dose has been given to 3.8 million people, while 3.0 million have already received the second. In El Salvador, the AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Pfizer, Moderna and Sinopharm vaccines are being applied.
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