In a new chapter of Your New DNA, Andrea Obaid spoke with the Minister of Health, Maria Begona Yarzaabout the current situation of the country against covid-19 and the future of vaccination schedule.
Faced with the report of this Monday, July 4, with 6,193 new cases and a positivity rate of 13.29%, there is still uncertainty about the impact of the virus, despite the fact that the occupation of ICU beds has decreased. However, there is also the factor of other respiratory diseases and pathologies that are added in winter, such as the syncytial virus.
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According to the minister, although there is greater stability in the increase in cases of coronavirus, occurs “simultaneously with the increase in respiratory viruses“.
“It has had a sustained increase that started in week 13 of the year and in March we began with the increase in beds (…) We give the assurance that no child has been left without having the health response according to the complexity,” he said.
Under the same point, Yarza pointed out that there is hope “that there is a break in the transmission and that stabilize and lower the number of cases regarding respiratory viruses“.
Vaccine against covid: possibility of a fifth dose
One of the aspects that becomes relevant in this health context is the vaccination schedule. The covid pandemic continues to be a factor of concern and the emphasis remains on the vaccine.
The minister referred to the capacity of each dose applied in the population, indicating that “the third dose decreases its effectiveness of immune response at six months“. Hence the need for a fourth vaccine.
Regarding a possible fifth injection, Yarza indicated that if you are watching “what is the response people have” with the last immunization.
“What we have observed is that the response is good. The first piece of news one might think of is that the fourth dose does not last six months. accumulation generates a protection of more than six months“, he pointed out.
However, he noted that “it is most likely that we will require a booster dose -fifth dose- because the pandemic continues and we have to get used to Sars-CoV-2 among us”.
He also explained that it will be essential define “to whom and when” a new inoculation should be distributed. Faced with this, there is also a deeper analysis by the Ministry of Health to see how to further address the situation.
mobility pass
Currently, the mobility pass is key to the control and management of the covid-19 pandemic, since it provides clarity on the population that has received the vaccine. At the moment, about a 30% do not have their complete vaccination scheduleso that do not have a mobility pass active and valid.
This restriction measure to enter certain places or carry out specific activities generates controversy among citizens. Hence the question arises of what will happen with the health accreditation.
The Minister of Health was emphatic in saying that the pass “has exercised and continues to exert a vector that stimulates people to have vaccination“.
In this way, María Begoña Yarza pointed out that today “the mobility pass becomes more important“. With this he appeals to the importance of the vaccine and rules out pass removal.
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