Third dose: over 50 years will receive booster doses – Health

President Iván Duque announced that as of this Friday, November 19, people over 50 who have already completed their vaccination schedules against covid-19 They will be able to approach the positions arranged for this process to receive a booster dose.

(Read also: This is how vaccines can be combined for the third dose)

After six months of the second dose, citizens who are within this group will receive the third dose received by those over 60 years of age in the country due to evidence that shows that protection against the virus decreases in this population over time.

(You may be interested in: Can I have a drink after being vaccinated against covid-19?)

Leonardo Arregocés, director of medicines and health technology, explained that “What we are seeing in the evidence is that the protection that vaccines provide is quite good, but in older people is where we see that the protection is not that high.”

In this sense, a booster dose would be an additional stimulus to the body to prevent the severe illness and death, they explain from the Ministry of Health.
The decision of the National Government on a third dose for those over 50 years is given after dialogues with the advisory committee on vaccines, the epidemiological committee and the Health portfolio.

“I want to inform the country that as of tomorrow the reinforcement dose will begin to be applied for the population over 50 years of age throughout the national territory”said President Duque, who added that this is an important measure to continue to guarantee not only the protection of life, but also to continue accompanying the safe reactivation of the economy and different activities.

In the framework of the second day without VAT, which will take place this Friday, the president assured that the National Vaccination Plan does not contemplate the mandatory nature of immunization, but that the principle of this process is that it is governed by persuasion.

However, since last November 16, it is mandatory to present the vaccination card in commercial establishments, restaurants, bars, as well as at mass events such as sporting events and entertainment venues.

(Of your interest: Will companies be able to require a vaccination card from their workers?)

“We are close to reaching 70 percent of the population vaccinated against covid-19 with at least one dose and we have to make the final push so that by the end of the year we achieve this goal”said the President.

In this sense, Duque stressed that those who have already received the first dose must complete the scheme and recalled that vaccination is safe and that the health emergency will last until February 2022, which implies that initial measures such as the permanent use of masks, hand washing and ventilation are maintained.

(We recommend consulting: The pandemic in Colombia would last until June 2022, according to the INS)

To date, 52,322,683 doses have been applied in the country, of which 28,555,537 have been used for first doses and 18,582,749 for second doses. Specifically, 23,115,023 Colombians already have complete vaccination schemes against covid-19. According to figures from the Ministry of Health, 652,123 booster doses have been applied.

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