Tunisie Tribune (Hechmi Louzir) – The Ministry of Health has decided to use the American Moderna vaccine on the second national immunization day on Sunday, August 15, according to the head of the immunization committee, Hechmi Louzir, announced.
Hechmi Louzir also added, in a statement given this Wednesday, August 11, 2021, to the Tap, that the ministry has also decided to use the American vaccine Johnson & Johnson, to vaccinate Tunisian students who continue their studies abroad, because it requires only one dose.
He recalled that on August 15, vaccination will be limited to people registered on Evax who have received their invitations by SMS and whose age varies between 18 and 39 years.
The total number of people registered on the Evax platform, aged 18-39, is estimated at 1.5 million people, of which 1,070 million have not yet been vaccinated.
Hechmi Louzir stressed that the usual vaccination centers will continue to administer the vaccines in a normal way for people who will notably receive the second dose. He said he was optimistic about the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the country, noting that if 50% of the population is vaccinated by October the epidemic will be brought under control.
Mr. Louzir further explained that the spread of the Delta variant in Tunisia during the last period has led to a significant proportion of Tunisians who have come into contact with the disease, noting that preliminary estimates indicate that the percentage of Natural immunity resulting from spontaneous recovery from the disease will reach 60% by September.
He finally affirmed that the strong propagation of the virus during this last wave will limit the danger of the cases imported after the month of October and that the improvement of the health situation requires the follow-up and the realization of genetic sequencing operations to identify any new mutant of the virus.
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