The Ministry of Health (Minsal) announced the expansion of the priority groups that will be able to receive the bivalent vaccine, an annual inoculation against Covid-19, which contains the original strain of the virus and the Ómicron, allowing the population to be protected from the new variables. that have appeared in recent months.
According to figures from the Department of Health Statistics and Information (DEIS), coverage of the bivalent vaccine -more than three months after its arrival- has only reached 27% of the target population, so it was decided to expand the groups priority.
In this sense, the Minister of Health, Ximena Aguilera, maintained that “we need to reinforce our actions to increase this vaccination coverage.”
“At the same time, in line with the requests of the committee of experts and different opinions that have been sent to the Ministry, and according to the epidemiological analysis that we have done, we have decided that we are going to expand the groups to be vaccinated with this bivalent vaccine to other risk groups,” he added.
In this way, starting next Monday, January 16, the following people will be able to start receiving the bivalent vaccine:
- • People over 50 years of age.
• People with severe and profound disabilities (registered in the national disability registry).
• Caregivers of dependent patients (Preferential Law).
• Population in SENAME closed centers.
• Officials in critical functions in the State.
• Essential personnel for direct attention to citizens and essential functions in basic service companies.
• Law enforcement and security forces, Armed Forces and ONEMI, CONAF and Firefighters.
• Kindergarten educators and people who work in nurseries and kindergartens.
• Teachers and directors of preschool, basic and secondary education.
• Gendarmerie personnel and persons deprived of liberty.
• Personnel from transport companies: land, air and sea.
