At least 5 million people nationwide will have been vaccinated by July 28 this year, when President Francisco Sagasti's term in office ends,
Health Minister Oscar Ugarte estimated on Sunday.
In this regard, the government official affirmed that 10 out of the 48 million COVID-19 vaccine doses —which have already been paid by the Government of Peru and are set to arrive in various shipments within the coming weeks— will have been administered by the end of July.
"But as they are arriving little by little, we estimate that 10 million (doses) will have reached the country by July, which means at least 5 million people will be fully vaccinated," Ugarte said from the
National Agrarian University La Molina, where he supervised the vaccination process on Sunday.
He explained that most of the population who will be vaccinated by July is made up of people over 60 years of age and staff at the frontline of the fight against COVID-19.
People aged 70 to 79 years
Ugarte reported that 165,000 individuals aged 70 to 79 years have been vaccinated nationwide on April 30 and May 1, as well as those over 80 years of age.
"In Lima, 110,000 people over 70 years of age have been vaccinated in these two days, which is much more than the amount of people who were being vaccinated. The number of people vaccinated per day has increased fourfold," he pointed out.
According to the minister, this increase suggests that the deadline to immunize everyone over 60 years of age will be shortened and may fall before July.
(END) LIT/RMB
Published: 5/2/2021