The Secretary of the Department of Health (DS), Carlos Mellado López, reported this Sunday that from tomorrow emergency responders will begin vaccinating in the six vaccination centers led by the National Guard gradually.
It was also stated in the press release that it starts distributing vaccines to various centers around the island to vaccinate the elderly.
“All groups are important and we would like to vaccinate them all at the same time. There are many aspects that we are considering at the same time and we will work to improve the response. We have been vaccinating for four weeks and we will gradually integrate phase 1b, without forgetting that we are still caring for health professionals, “Mellado López specified in written statements.
In addition, Mellado López explained that they will integrate a shift system that will be available for older adults as well as an information platform “Dashboard” to keep up to date vaccination information by municipality.
He added, “We have divided efforts to achieve greater impact on vaccination. The National Guard will begin vaccinating 300 emergency responders identified by the Department of Public Safety (DSP) for each of the six centers available starting tomorrow. which means that not all police officers will be able to attend vaccinations tomorrow, only those identified and informed by the DPS. The logistics are staggered to be able to attend to them without excluding the health professionals we still continue to vaccinate, “he insisted.
The Covid-19 Vaccination Centers led by the National Guard are: the Pedrín Zorrilla Coliseum in San Juan, the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, the Fine Arts Center in Caguas, the Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce and the Palace of Recreation and Sports in Mayagüez. During this period, these centers will care for health professionals and emergency responders identified by the DSP. The established hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
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“Our goal is to vaccinate all first responders across the island in four weeks once Phase 1B begins. First responders, both state and municipal, will be vaccinated at regional centers operated by the Guard. National in San Juan, Caguas, Bayamón, Arecibo, Ponce and Mayagüez. “Said Assistant General of the National Guard of PR, Major General José J. Reyes.
For her part, the director of the Covid-19 Vaccination Program, Dr. Iris Cardona, said that “we first want adults over the age of 75 to start vaccination followed by those over the age of 65. Vaccines will be given. “Available to all and in accordance with the established priority. The phase of older adults is around 400,000 people and we want to vaccinate them all in an orderly process,” he said.
According to the Secretary of Health, over 91 providers of the Department of Health have vaccines available and as they are received will be distributed among these centers to vaccinate older adults. In total, Health has 64 hospitals, 51 primary care centers, 70 CDTs and 17 IPAS groups. Tomorrow 11 more additional IPAs will be added and next week 157 community pharmacies will be added to support the management of vaccination of older adults.
On December 15, the vaccination process for health workers began. One week ago he began vaccinating older adults in extended care facilities run by Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy. Vaccination of participants in intellectual disability programs was also initiated.
On the other hand, the Secretary of the Department of Public Safety (DSP), Alexis Torres, expressed hope for the start of the vaccination process for respondents, “our first response staff are from officials who most have so far been exposed to COVID-19 trying to protect the general public, and so far we have lost five colleagues in the Police Negotiation and one colleague in the Negotiation for Emergency Management and Disaster Management. “They are getting vaccinated so they can get vaccinated today so they can continue to provide safety and well-being to everyone in Puerto Rico.”
According to the Department of Health, phase 1A will continue until the end of January, while phase 1B, which was scheduled to start at the end of January, is being advanced. Similarly, work is being done on the vaccination logistics of teachers and administrative staff in the Department of Education.
“Our goal is always for everyone in Puerto Rico to be vaccinated. To achieve this, we are joining forces with many components of health and safety to achieve this. In the meantime, we ask the public not to lower their guard. The mask , distancing and hand washing is a priority right now, ”he concluded.