“#NoNosConfiemos (…) #VacunateHoyConBivalente”, is read every day on the social networks of the Ministry of Health (Minsal). Although the presence of Covid-19 is less and less noticeable, experts and authorities call not to worry. Even from the Minsal, with Minister Ximena Aguilera at the helm, they have insisted that “we do not trust ourselves, the pandemic is not over yet”, and they have also deployed various operations to encourage inoculation, both against the coronavirus and against influenza.
And with figures in hand, experts have insisted that the bivalent vaccination campaign is going slowly and insist that the health authorities must intensify the call for people to be immunized against Covid-19, since since the process began, 2,548,972 people have been immunized with this vaccine, that is, 30.62% of a target population of 8,325,856 individuals.
Luis Castillo, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Autonomous University, affirms that “the figures for bivalent vaccination are very low, and the fact of having so few immunized people will mean a risk for the target population. It must also be taken into account that viral circulation of all kinds begins in winter, which leaves them more exposed.
The vaccination campaign with the bivalent dose against Covid-19, which contains both the original Wuhan strain and omicron, and which allows the population to be protected against the new variants that have emerged in recent times, began on last October 11. Of course, the process is directed for certain people.
Within the target population, the Minsal has been opening the door more and more, especially with regard to age groups. As of today, the people who can be inoculated are: people aged 50 or over, health personnel, immunosuppressed people from the age of 12 with diagnoses such as patients on dialysis, with cancer undergoing treatment, with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, with solid organ transplantation and with autoimmune diseases receiving biological treatments; chronic users from the age of 12 (lung disease, heart disease, obesity, among them); and prioritized “essential service” groups, as defined by the authority.
Of these groups, the ones with the most coverage are people over 80 years of age and health personnel, with whom the campaign began. Of the 380,948 health officials, 223,696 have been vaccinated, that is, 58.72, while of those over 80, more than 286,000 people (57.27%) are already immunized. On the other hand, Of the 380,948 chronic patients that make up the target group, 206,284 have been inoculated (19,51%) (See table).
And if we delve deeper into the numbers, the only three groups that have exceeded 50% of their vaccinated population are: people between 70 and 79 years of age (56.01%), individuals 80 years of age and over, and the staff of health.
| Group | Target population | Vaccination rate |
|---|---|---|
| People aged 80 and over | 499.597 | 57,27% |
| People between 70 and 79 years old | 987.099 | 56,01% |
| People between 60 and 69 years | 1.732.048 | 39,87% |
| People between 50 and 59 years old | 2.300.643 | 20,88% |
| Chronic people under 50 years of age | 1.057.310 | 19,51% |
| Health personnel under 50 years of age | 380.948 | 58,72% |
| Prioritized groups under 50 years of age | 1.368.301 | 7,97% |
The head of the Critical Patient Unit of the Indisa Clinic, Sebastián Ugarte, explains that “bivalent vaccination has been slow. Health personnel have advanced faster, as they have the habit of getting vaccinated annually against influenza, therefore it is easier for them to accept this vaccine. While those over 50 years of age and patients with chronic diseases have a fairly low vaccination rate. And that is why he insists that vaccination rates must continue to be improved, since they make a difference when people are infected.
In fact, the effect of the vaccine to prevent serious cases has been demonstrated, since in In recent weeks, Chile reached the lowest number of hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic. At the national level, there are 73 people in some critical unit and there are health centers that have their ICU free of Covid.
Ugarte adds that this process not only benefits the target groups that are most at risk of producing a serious condition, but also helps the rest of the population: “Not only does it prevent people at risk from having a serious clinical picture, but it can also prevent transmission of the virus to the rest of the community. This vaccination is a key measure to keep work and school activities open. It is also essential to maintain the life we lead now, which is practically normal, even when the pandemic is still in force.
On the other hand, Castle insists that at least 80% of the target population must be vaccinated between now and June, so that they are protected in the winter. “That is why vaccination must be accelerated, especially in risk groups, because they must be protected during the winter. If the situation continues like this, the vaccination goal will not be reached, we could even need a year, ”stresses the academic.
Epidemiological reports already account for the reappearance of some viruses such as influenza, adenovirus and parainfluenza, with a significant rise in cases, as seen during the winters prior to the pandemic.
In the latest report from the Institute of Public Health (ISP), 2,339 samples were analyzed for respiratory viruses and 16.3% of them were positive, that is, 382. Covid-19 was one of the most diagnosed, since 40% of the evidence is up to him. It is followed by influenza, with 16.2% of positive diagnoses.
For this same week, but last year, the situation was completely different. On that occasion, 996 cases were analyzed for respiratory viruses and 10.3% were positive for some of the viral agents studied.
