DILI, 19 january 2022 (TATOLI) – More than 4.000 Covid-19 vaccine booster shots have already been administered in Timor-Leste since health officials authorized administering extra shots of Pfizer vaccines to people with weakened immune systems, elderly persons and front-line workers on january 8, said Director of the Dili Municipal Health Service, Agostinha Segurado.
“Since january 8, more than 4.000 fully vaccinated people have received an additional dose of a Covid-19 vaccine,” Segurado said at Vera Cruz Health Care Center, in Dili, on wednesday.
That number includes those who had previously received two doses of Pfizer or SINOVAC’s.
She said the Ministry of Health (MoH) administered the Pfizer vaccine to children between 12 and 17 years old, saying the vaccines may also be administered to people based on the requests made by State bodies, such as the Presidency of the Republic and the Attorney General’s Office.
“We carried out the administration of the vaccines based on the availability of the vaccines. If we have more than enough vaccines for children then we will continue administering the vaccines for the elderly persons, people with underline medical conditions and the most vulnerable people,” she said.
Segurado provided that more than 36.000 students had taken the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, while 29.000 have been fully vaccinated.
Since Timor-Leste’s outbreak began in april 2020, the country has recorded 19.866 cases, 19.729 recoveries, and 122 deaths.
In Timor-Leste, of the 754.864 eligible adult groups, 83.9% had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, of which 70 % have been fully vaccinated.
Timor-Leste has already received more than one million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine provided by the COVAX Facility, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Japan, China, and the United States of America.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Rafy Belo
