Andina

Peru's Health Min: Administration of COVID-19 vaccine will be like Election Day voting

Photo: ANDINA/MINSA

Photo: ANDINA/MINSA

00:30 | Lima, Nov. 25.

Peru's Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti has announced that the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 will be similar to the Election Day voting.

In her presentation before Parliament's Health and Population Commission, the high-ranking official reported that her portfolio is coordinating with the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) to set up 17,000 polling stations and 80,000 'tables' to administer the vaccines.

"The tables will serve to complete the vaccination process and, then, as voting tables in April. The same distribution will be used in both cases, as well as ONPE's records," she explained.

According to plan, the vaccination-polling stations will be close to people's homes and only one table will be available per classroom. 

"The idea is to have an orderly immunization process," she said.

Moreover, the minister disclosed that the latest seroprevalence study in Lima showed that 35% of the population had COVID-19, which implies that the remaining 65% is still vulnerable to the disease.

In this regard, the Cabinet member said that the results of studies conducted in all regions throughout the country will be made available gradually thru December 20.

Additionally, Dr. Mazzetti commented that 23.1 million doses of potential vaccines have been secured for 2021, thanks to the negotiations with Pfizer and the COVAX Facility mechanism.

She went on to note that Pfizer will maintain the cold chain for the vaccines during their distribution to the immunization stations.

Last Monday, the Health minister reported that Peru's Government has been negotiating with various laboratories to obtain 24.5 million vaccines against COVID-19 during the first quarter of 2021, with the aim of immunizing the country's entire adult population prior to the general elections scheduled for April 11.

(END) RRC/RMB/MVB

Published: 11/25/2020