Vaccination against covid-19 continues in Ecuador this 2023

This 2023, the vaccination process against covid-19 continues on a national scale in more than 1,900 health centers established by the Portfolio of the branch.

In Ecuador, 55.63% of the population has received the second booster of the covid-19 vaccine.

Only in the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ) there are a total of 137 spaces: 47 in the north, 52 in the south, and 19 in the center and valley. Most of them are health centers, but there are also places for inoculation in shopping malls, markets, and the El Recreo Trolleybus Station.

The opening hours are from 08:00 to 16:00, except in shopping centers where it starts at 10:00.

For this new year, the Ministry of Health (MSP) announced the purchase, through the Covax mechanism of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), of 3.5 million doses of the bivalent vaccine , which includes protection against the original variant of Omicron.

José Ruales, head of the State Portfolio, pointed out that they consider it important to access a more specific vaccine of the circulating strains aimed mainly at the population at risk , that is, older adults, people with comorbidities, with disabilities, etc.

The official added that a delivery date has not yet been defined, however, he said, “it should be the first quarter” of this 2023.

Regarding coverage with booster doses in the country, Ruales mentioned that they have been stagnant and there has not been a good response despite “all the efforts to motivate the population to complete the booster schedules.”

Despite this, he added, the MSP continues to campaign, visiting communities and neighborhoods to bring the covid-19 vaccine closer to the community.

According to data from the Vaccinometer , as of January 3, 2023, 7,651,219 (55.63%) people have the first booster and 2,707,954 have the second. Coverage with two doses reaches 84.83%.

First, second and booster doses

Immunization against covid-19 in Ecuador is authorized for the population from 3 years of age . In accordance with MSP guidelines, children under that age, up to 11 years of age, are administered the Sinovac biologic at an interval of 28 days.

Those over 12 years of age access the first booster dose four months after completing the primary scheme, that is, the second vaccine.

The second booster, on the other hand, is authorized for people over 18 years of age, four months after the third dose.

The MSP insists on the need to complete the covid-19 vaccination scheme to avoid the severity of the disease and even death.