Fourth dose: On April 2, new vaccination begins for people over 70 years old in Lima and Callao

The Ministry of Health (Minsa) ordered that, from tomorrow, Saturday 2 April, the application of the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in people over 70 years of age and with immunocompromise, residing in Lima and Callao.

This was reported this morning by the director general of Strategic Public Health Interventions of Minsa, Alexis Holguín, who clarified that the application of the fourth dose, to this age group as well as to health personnel, will take place nationally from Monday 4 to Tuesday 5 April.

“Tomorrow (Saturday, April 2) we start vaccination for people over 70 years old and also for people with immunosuppressants, in what is Lima and Callao. And between Monday (4) and Tuesday (April 5) it continues with what is at the country level, as well as health personnel with a fourth dose,” he noted.

It should be noted that people over 70 years of age and with immunocompromise must have received the third dose more than 5 months ago in order to be inoculated with the fourth dose of the vaccine against COVID-19.

In addition, Holguín explained that the protocol approved by Minsa indicates that this fourth dose is applied with the vaccine of the Pfizer or Moderna laboratories, as it has been demonstrated by studies that they have safety and efficacy.

Finally, he reported that Peru has a large batch of doses of Moderna's vaccine that has just arrived in Peru, and that they have a long validity period. “By timeline we already have to vaccinate (with the fourth dose of the vaccine against covid-19) older adults,” he said.

36 HOUR VACCINATION

Adults over 70 years of age in Lima and Callao will be able to come to any vaccination facility to receive their fourth dose starting tomorrow, Saturday, April 2, as long as they received the third dose 5 months ago.

To facilitate vaccination, Minsa will hold a new 36-hour immunization day this weekend in Lima, from 7 am on Saturday 2 to 7 pm on Sunday 3 April.

It will be within the framework of the campaign “I vaccinate Peru, complete your dose”, for which Minsa has set up vaccination facilities in different parts of Lima that will operate even in the early morning of April 3rd.

THIRD MANDATORY DOSE

Since this Friday, April 1, the government of Pedro Castillo has mandated, of a mandatory nature, to have the three doses of the vaccine against COVID-19 to be able to enter public and private establishments. This provision shall apply to all persons over 18 years of age.

The measure, which seeks to speed up the vaccination process in Peru, was made official on March 26 through Supreme Decree 030-2022-PCM, which also extends the state of emergency for a period of 30 calendar days, starting on the first day of April.

PLACE WHERE THE THREE DOSES WILL BE REQUIRED

The requirement for the three doses of vaccine reaches those over 18 years of age who seek to enter shopping centers, shopping malls, department stores, general stores, conglomerates, shops supplying basic necessities, supermarkets, markets, restaurants and the like in internal areas.

As well as casinos, slots, cinemas, theaters, banks, churches, temples, places of worship, libraries, museums, cultural centers, art galleries, clubs, sports associations premises, hairdressers, barbershops, spas, Turkish baths, sauna, thermal baths, gyms, notaries, customer service offices, administrative procedures and tables from parts of public and private institutions, as well as professional associations.

In addition, those who wish to attend stadiums and coliseums must also certify their full vaccination.

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