The minister of Public health, Daniel Riveraexplained this Tuesday that bivalent vaccines of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which will soon arrive in the country, will be for the exclusive use of citizens who have already completed their regime with four doses and look for a new reinforcement.
“There are 7.1 million vaccinated in the first dose, second dose, more or less, 6.0 million Dominicans, third dose 2.5 million, but in the fourth dose, 275 thousand. We’ll give those fourth doses the annual booster. The others have their vaccines reserved there, we have Sinovac and we have Pfizer”, he stressed.
The President of the Cabinet of Health clarified that these vaccines have not been purchased recently, rather, they were obtained through a lawmaker-approved addendum in which 1.2 million vaccines awaiting delivery were traded. This quantity of vaccines has been divided into three items: Vaccines for children one to five years old (being the first time that this wording will be introduced in the country), Vaccines for children aged five to eleven and bivalentswhich contains protection against omicrons.
“Only the 275 thousand who have the fourth dose are entitled. It’s not that those who have only one dose will take the bivalent, it is for those who have four doses”Minister of Public Health
As for Covid cases, Rivera says they will only go to sample collection patients with symptomswhich “increases positivity but not hospitalization”.
He recalled that in addition to Covid, other viruses circulate in the country such as flu and rhinovirus and that the preventive key is self-care.
yellow fever vaccine
The minister was visiting Santo Domingo Health Center (La Galván) following the incorporation of 10,000 new doses of yellow fever vaccines, due to the great demand it has had among Dominicans, Venezuelans and Haitians looking to travel to South America, Central America or Asia.
“It is unusual for so many people to be vaccinated against yellow fever.. This is not like Covid which has a large (demand) pool,” recognized.
The doctor said previously “they were scheduled 10,000 vaccines per year and between 5,000 and 6,000 were usedbut just a week ago they were already there 17 thousand vaccinated”.
“We had the problem that foreigners came to the Dominican Republic. We are answering the additional question and nothing is being charged,” she added.
In addition to the Dominicans, he assured that he was in great demand among “Haitians and Venezuelans” that “they came without vaccination and are getting vaccinated here to go back there, because they won’t let them go to Guatemala without vaccinations. They come to the country, get vaccinated and then cross over there.”
The minister recalled thisthere is no yellow fever in the countryIt is when I also go to South America and Asian countries that I have to get the vaccine. We must ensure that yellow fever never enters here”, hence the importance of requiring foreigners entering the country to be vaccinated.
