From Thursday, people over the age of 60 with chronic illnesses will be able to be vaccinated in an orderly process, as part of the new Administrative Order 2021-486 signed by the Secretary of the Department of Health, Carlos Mellado López. The Administrative Order No. 2021-486 will extend for a period of 30 days and aims to prioritize that vaccines be administered to the most vulnerable population.
“We have managed to vaccinate 25% of the island’s older adults and we will continue our mission to vaccinate every person in Puerto Rico. However, with the arrival of more vaccines, it is important to start integrating other populations into a process. So from the week that the priority is extended for those who are 60 to 64 years old and who suffer from chronic diseases receive the vaccine, it is important to emphasize that the number of vaccines we receive, despite having increased, does not it allows us to vaccinate everyone at the same time as we would like, we go slowly. “, explained Mellado López.
According to the conditions identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these diseases are: cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis or alpha1antitrispine deficiency), Down syndrome , heart disease (heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy) and immunocompromised status (weakened immune system) as a result of an organ transplant. These guidelines are for all established vaccination centers, excluding those dedicated to vaccinating staff in the education system.
The Secretary of Health stressed that the new population to be vaccinated must present a doctor, who, in effect, certifies the condition of the patient and that these are among those exposed in the OA. “For now the instructions remain the same, we continue to vaccinate exclusively adults over 65 in all centers that receive vaccines, without exception,” he said.
This Administrative Order orders the DS inspectors to inspect all vaccination centers to examine their compliance, emphasizing that the vaccination phases adopted by the Department will be strictly continued. It is worth noting that vaccination of adults over 65 or older continues its course, as stipulated in Administrative Order No. 2021-480.
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