Starting tomorrow, Monday, almost everyone will have access to vaccination in Puerto Rico, as part of the new health strategy that seeks to protect the island’s youngest population.
To this end, the Department of Health (DS) has enabled the website www.protegetevacunate.com where citizens aged 16 and over can obtain a vaccination appointment, in accordance with the availability of weekly vaccines received by Puerto Rico, with In order to advance community immunity.
“The vaccination process has been a priority and we have focused on speeding up inoculation on the island. In four months we are integrating the entire population. It is a success that we celebrate and we are sure that we will move forward every day to achieve immunity. The Secretary of Health, Carlos Mellado López, said in a written statement that the process remains orderly and will proceed according to the volume of doses received to reach the population that remains to be inoculated which is estimated at 2.7 million people.
The process to get an appointment is simple, once on the page that enabled the DS, they must choose the population to which they belong, enter the license number, date of birth, name, email and phone number to complete the registration.
The page offers the alternative of selecting the date on which you want to receive the vaccine and offers you the availability, considering the provider and the vaccine that corresponds according to age. You will be sent a confirmation number along with the appointment information via email and text message, provided.
People who have difficulty will receive assistance from the platform through the “Help” button. Also, people who do not have a license or email number, vital to the registration process, will need to request assistance at the same button.
According to Mellado López, the vaccination rate has been very good. “More than 1.5 million doses have been administered by authorized health care providers. At this time we have achieved at least one dose in 42 percent of the population and we have vaccinated the two doses in 17 percent of the population. population “.
This week Puerto Rico expects to receive 49,800 doses from Pfizer, 34,200 from Moderna and 6,100 from Janssen, for a total of 136,500. These shipments of vaccines are received between Tuesday and Thursday (this week) and are distributed to Healthcare providers. However, the vaccines that arrived between Thursday and Friday last week will be distributed as follows: 6,950 doses of Moderna with 20 suppliers, 17,316 doses of Pfizer with 56 suppliers and another 8,100 doses directly received by 17 suppliers .
In addition, there are vaccines that go directly to pharmacies, under the federal Retail Pharmacy program. Walgreens pharmacies receive about 60 thousand doses, CVS Pharmacy 10 thousand doses, Costco 2 thousand doses and Cardinal pharmacies 10 thousand doses. Also, Walmart, Amic and Sams pharmacies have allocated 10,000 doses, between first and second. Through the cyber portal of each channel, citizens will also be able to obtain a vaccination appointment. In the case of Walmart, coordination is by phone call.
16- and 17-year-olds will only be able to receive the Pfizer vaccine, subject to authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Children under the age of 21 must be accompanied by their parent or authorized guardian. Web portals take into account age and vaccine, for appointment coordination.
The head of Health called on the public to continue health and safety protocols against the virus. “We have to be disciplined. The use of the mask is not optional, it is mandatory. As well as keeping the distance, avoiding crowding and maintaining good hygiene. Certainly, the vaccine is a protection but we must continue to take care to stop the community contagion. The job of protecting us is for everyone, “said Mellado López.
On the other hand, the Secretary of Health clarified that pharmacies and vaccination centers, while they are operating, are excluded from the curfew performance provided by the Administrative Order 2021-491 signed on April 9. .