The Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunizations (Cavei) recommended -for the second time- to the Ministry of Health to implement a third booster dose for people over 65, immunosuppressed, people with chronic diseases and health workers who have their last inoculation five to six months ago.
As stated Third, the body met on June 29 to discuss the measure. It should be noted that the Cavei’s task is to advise the Minsal with the formulation of immunization programs, strategies and policies.
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The president(s) of the Cavei and pediatric infectologist at the Universidad de Los Andes Clinic, Maria Luz Endeizaspecified to the same outlet that the decision is due to the fact that “six months have passed since the vaccination campaign began with the fourth dose and the population at risk was the first to be inoculated with this booster and we are already seeing that these people are starting to be hospitalized again. So, at this point, a new vaccine is necessary. In addition, this must be foreseen, because vaccines are not bought from one day to the next, and that is why the recommendation is made in advance.”
It’s not the first time
Undersecretary of Public Health, Christopher Square, entrusted -in its first meeting- to the Committee to analyze the implementation of a new booster dose. At the meeting of April 27, the Cavei decided for the first time a new inoculation for vulnerable groups.
The agency itself did not recommend opening a new process for the entire population due to the poor implementation of the fourth dose. According to the Department of Statistics and Health Information (DEIS) of the Minsal, 1,589,545 are behind with the third dose, while 2,062,705 with the fourth, making a total of more than three million inhabitants behind in their treatment scheme. complete vaccination and therefore, they have the Mobility Pass blocked.
“We must reinforce the message to the population and the deployment of resources and conditions for the completion of primary vaccination schemes and the first and second reinforcement of the entire beneficiary population, seeking that the majority of the target population to be vaccinated can have two reinforcements “, Indicates the Cavei in his minutes.
Fifth dose for the entire population?
However, the different health organizations that work with the Minsal have a different view on the implementation of a new booster dose. This because, the president of the Cavei, James Rodriguez, head of pediatric infectology at the German Clinic, warned that at the meeting on July 27, he will recommend the option of a dose for the general population. “Faced with new information that the health ministry gave us about the fourth dose, the authorities asked us to review our recommendation,” he said.
For its part, the National Pandemic Response Commission (CNRP) indicated last July that there is no background to implement a new dose.
Controversy in the minutes
It should be noted that the Cavei sends the minutes of meetings to the Ministry of Health, who must make public what was discussed at each meeting of the body. Although the last act had a particular controversy.
This is because members of the Committee told the Third that the last document recommending a new booster dose for risk groups was only on the Minsal website for a couple of days and was later removed.
The members met with the head of the Minsal Immunization Department, Maria Paz Bertoglia, about this fact, to which the answer was that the page had problems. After insistence from the Cavei, finally the record is from this Tuesday.
Faced with this fact, the president(s) of the organization, Maria Luz Endeizamaintained that “the record was uploaded, but it disappeared and we had to request that it be uploaded again. We found out last week, so we made a request, but there was no response, so on Monday they insisted and they answered and today is it availabe”.
For his part, the president of the Cavei, James Rodriguezstated that “on Thursday we will meet with the authorities, because we are surprised that it has happened. In addition, what complicates us is that the executive secretary of the Cavei is no longer there, Magdalena Bastiaswho was super relevant in the minutes process and his absence creates problems for us to work”.
The Cavei report on this impasse states that “it urgently requires that the representation of the Department of Epidemiology materialize permanently.”
