SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 26 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands began this Monday the vaccination of the fourth dose, or also called the second booster dose, with the new vaccines against covid-19 adapted to the new variants of Ómicron in the nursing homes of the islands and in health centers for the population over 80 years of age.
This vaccination process will be aimed at the most vulnerable population, which includes people over 80 years of age and residents of nursing homes, which in total make up a population of more than 100,000 people and, progressively, other age groups will be included.
The start of the campaign with this target population will be carried out by appointment by the health centers, so users do not have to carry out any prior appointment request process, while the nursing teams travel to the residences of elderly to vaccinate institutionalized people as has been happening until now with the previous inoculated doses, collects a note from the Ministry.
The demographic groups in which vaccination with the second booster dose will be prioritized may receive this after at least five months have elapsed since the last dose received against covid-19.
In the case of recent coronavirus infection, people hospitalized in centers for the elderly and disabled, those over 80 years of age, the child population aged five and over with risk conditions and people with a high degree of immunosuppression, may receive the second booster dose three months after infection.
RECALLING DOSE
The Canary Islands received last week the first batch of 273,600 doses of the new vaccines against covid-19 adapted to the new Ómicron variants for vaccination of the second booster dose. Of the total number of injectables, 230,400 are from Pfizer and 43,200 from Moderna.
Experts indicate that the new multivalent vaccines, used as booster doses, can enhance and amplify the immune response and therefore protection against all clinical manifestations.
They also recall that high vaccination coverage needs to be achieved in the most vulnerable groups, regardless of their history of infection, since booster doses are associated with greater protection against the omicron variant and some of its subvariants.
Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the recommendations to start primary vaccination if it has not yet been done, to complete the vaccination schedule even if the disease has passed, and to administer booster doses 5 months after completing the primary vaccination (or with a minimum interval of 4 weeks). ).