The
Ministry of Health (Minsa) on Saturday announced that Peru has so far managed to exceed 70% of the target population vaccinated with two doses against the novel coronavirus.
This rate is equivalent to 19,756,304 people over 12 years of age who are protected from the most severe types of COVID-19 infection.
"We have already exceeded 70% of the target population vaccinated, something that seemed impossible to achieve at the beginning of this year. However, the strength of staff and collaboration of an important sector of the citizenry have led to this achievement,"
Health Minister Hernando Cevallos highlighted.
"We can defeat the pandemic so as to return to a better normality along with our families, to hug one another as we used to do some time ago," he added within the framework of the Oral Health Week campaign.
"The measures enacted by the Government are not to annoy anyone, they are not to make people uncomfortable, but rather to collectively take care of and protect one another (...),"
Minister Cevallos indicated.
"That is not unconstitutional; we respect the right of any person to want to get vaccinated, beyond the more than 63,000 people who are hospitalized, not vaccinated, and only 4,000 who are vaccinated; that means 80% of citizens who are hospitalized and also those placed in intensive care units are people who are not vaccinated with the two doses," he added.
Moreover, the Cabinet member stressed that Peru is among the four Latin American countries —after Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina— with the highest rate of vaccinated citizens in their populations.
The high-ranking official noted that this means success of health sector staff and the population who have collaborated so that this commitment is fulfilled.
Thanks to this coverage, Peru is closer to achieving the goal of having vaccinated 80% of the target population (28,024,254) at the end of 2021 —especially in a favorable scenario in regions such as: Ica (81.5%), Ancash (78.4%), Tumbes (74.4%), and Arequipa (74.1%).
The situation is just as positive in Metropolitan Lima where Central Lima registers a two-dose coverage of 76.4%, followed by Northern Lima (75.5%), Southern Lima (75.0%), and Eastern Lima (74.3%).
(END) NDP/RRC/MVB
Published: 12/11/2021