How did the government decide to use the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?

This Thursday the government announced a statement with key points taken into account for the signing Joint Commitment on Booster Dose With representatives of the Dominican Medical College and specialized medical associations to use the third booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Many factors such as reduction in mortality, good management of the national vaccination program and recent international scientific studies confirming the use of booster doses were taken into account for the use of the measure.

Points taken into account when discussing the need to apply Here, optionally, the booster dose with a different vaccine for all citizens who have completed the first and second dose schedule:

1. All participants recognize the excellent performance of the National Vaccine Program, which maintains us as one of the countries with the lowest mortality rates and with the vast majority of people being vaccinated for every hundred people.

2. Timely administration of the Sinovac vaccine has been able to reduce the incidence, hospitalization and mortality due to SARS COV-2.

3. With the emergence of new variants of Govit-19, one of the best preventive measures to protect the health of Dominicans is the use of an additional booster dose, which enhances the immune system’s response to the changing virus, such as SARS COV-2.

4. Preliminary findings from current studies indicate that the use of additional and voluntary doses of different vaccines for those used in the first and second doses may improve the response to the production of neutral antibodies against SARS COV-2.

5. According to international experience accumulated to date, and in the opinion of experts, it has been concluded that the potential benefit of protection against SARS COV-2 outweighs the potential side effects of the use of an additional booster dose.

6. Considering the above reasons, representatives of specialized medical associations and the Dominican Medical Association support the arrangement announced by the government to use an additional booster dose.

7. This booster dose should be started immediately on a voluntary basis, for all early staff and those with comorbidity with two initial doses of the vaccine, and then proceed with the rest of the population.

8. It can be used 4 weeks apart from the last vaccine in the case of Sinovac and 12 weeks in the case of AstraZeneca.

9. This extra dose will continue to be used following the same pattern as for the first and second doses, starting with the elderly, those with comorbid conditions, and those at risk for SARS COV-2 infection.

10. The process of applying the first and second doses with the synovial vaccine continues to develop naturally and in parallel.

The commitment was signed on Monday and released on Thursday after joint meetings with health ministers and representatives of the health department at the National Palace.

Signatories; Louis Abinader, President; Rachel Pen, Vice President and Physicians of the Republic; Clive Perez, President of the Dominican Society of Infectiology; Alexander Marte, Vice President of the Dominican Society of Critical Medicine and Intensive Care Villas; Natalia Garcia, Lungs. Coordinator of the Govt Medical Area and Medical Union Research Division; Voldo serum, President of the Dominican Medical College Louis Pena Nunes And doctors Justo Nicasio, Coral Pereira and Jose R. Unen, Doctors’ Guild.

In addition, the doctors also signed; Jose Priya, President of the Dominican Vaccine Association; Evangelina Solar, President of the Dominican Society of Pulmonology; Jose Miguel Stephen, In charge of the complex medical field; George Marte, The health advisor to the executive branch and the medical director of Cedimat; Jose Joaquin Plow, City Director of Health; Miguel Nuce, Neurologist; Jose Natalio Redonto, Chairman of the rescue team; Rafael Arturo Ramos Dominican Society of Salupristas and Julio Enrique Castro, President of the Dominican Society of Infectiology.