Bogotá D.C., July 1, 2022. In the wake of the state of Health Emergency, the director of Promotion and Prevention, Gerson Bermont pointed out that although the different criteria underlying the declaration of the measure and extension for over two years have been bested, we must bear in mind that the pandemic is not over.

He called on the territorial authorities and the public to continue advancing in the National Vaccination Plan, since COVID-19 cases have been rising. "Today we are experiencing an outbreak with a slight increase in cases and deaths in recent weeks, which is concerning, but it does not force us to take exceptional measures."

Progress in the National Vaccination Plan

After examining the progress of COVID-19 vaccination, the director reported that already 42,556,892 people have received the first or only dose, which represents 83.4% of the national population. Of these, 36,217,823 (70.9%) have a complete schedule.

Meanwhile, regarding boosters, 13,054,552 (39.6%) people over 12 years of age have the so-called third dose and 867,597 people have received their second booster dose. "There is a decrease in vaccination, mainly in boosters, and sadly the new cases are concentrated in people at risk who have not been vaccinated, or do not complete their schedules or do not go for their booster," said the director.

In boys and girls, on the other hand, 4,677,961 (86.8%) have received the first dose; but the lag in the second dose continues, with only 3,211,307 (46%) children vaccinated.

Bermont expressed special concern in this aspect, given that the country is experiencing a peak of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI). The number of deaths from ARI in children under 5 years of age that were reported throughout 2020 has already been reached. Prevention measures such as the use of face masks, hand washing, ventilation, cleaning, and vaccination must be intensified," he said.

Finally, in migrant vaccination, the official notified that already 643,342 people have the first or only dose. Consequently, 85,988,286 doses have been administered in Colombia since the National Vaccination Plan began.

Territorial advance

Regarding vaccination coverage in the territories, the director noted that 521 municipalities have already reached the indicator of coverage exceeding 70% and boosters of 40%. The country is already at 59.9% of the goal and 449 municipalities are in line (40.1%).

Among the territories that have already reached the goal are Quindío, Boyacá, Caldas, Tolima, Antioquia, Amazonas, and Risaralda. And regarding capital cities, these are Tunja, Armenia, Leticia, Pereida, Ibagué, Manizales, Bogotá, San Andrés, Bucaramanga, Barranquilla, Cali, Medellín, Puerto Carreño, Popayán and Yopal.

"And a call to the mayors of the cities that have not achieved it, to intensify vaccination and reinforce their strategies. Many municipalities must make a greater effort," he emphasized.

Current measures

Now that the health emergency is over, it should be considered that the Ministry of Health is still the governing body of the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why it has issued Circular 28, 2022, defining the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine at all the vaccination points of the EPI program or at the vaccination services authorized by the IPSs.

A second regulation is Resolution 1140, 2022, which authorizes the second booster in people between 12 and 49 years of age on medical recommendation. "And that includes family members and caregivers of people who are immunocompromised or undergoing cancer treatment, as well as health professionals who are exposed due to handling COVID-19 patients," Bermont explained.

Another document is the Strategic Vaccine Reserve, defined in Resolution 1141, 2022, where it establishes the number of vaccines required in the territories to guarantee the attention to the demand for biological agents by the population in a timely manner.

This serves to outline the criteria to define the strategic reserve, such as: public that is expected to be vaccinated, public that has not yet started or completed the schedule, public subject to booster according to the guidelines, indications of the vaccines and storage capacity.

Therefore, the vaccine is guaranteed for all Colombians in any territory. "We currently have 2,589,920 doses from Pfizer for the territories and the free zone, 3,968,447 from Moderna, 1,247,179 from Sinovac and 4,037,927 from Janssen," revealed Bermont.

Conclusions of the PMU # 136, by the director of Promotion and Prevention, Gerson Bermont.