Mexico Begins Booster Vaccination Campaign for Senior Citizens

The vaccination strategy of an additional dose for adults over 60 years of age starts this Tuesday in the states of Chiapas, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Sinaloa and Yucatan, informed the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo Lopez Gatell.

Gatell, responsible for the Mexican Government's vaccination program against COVID-19, explained that no prior registration would be required. People will be able to go directly to the vaccination centers, proving their age.

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On the other hand, at the traditional press conference of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the President received the booster dose together with other people, including guests and government secretaries.

"Follow you-know-who," said President López Obrador before being immunized amidst applause from those present.

During the morning conference held in Jalisco, a group of senior citizens was vaccinated and transmissions were also made to other states where the COVID-19 vaccination reinforcement campaign for senior citizens was also launched.

"The President of Mexico @lopezobrador_ received the booster dose of the vaccine against #COVID19. This Tuesday, December 7th, marked the beginning of this new stage of the national immunization plan for adults over 60 years of age."

In his opportunity, Lopez-Gatell said that the initial dose would be applied in older adults who were immunized before June of this year and specified that if someone was vaccinated later, they should consider that a period of "six months since the last vaccination" has to be completed.

"What we will use will be the AstraZeneca vaccine in all cases, regardless of what the original vaccination schedule was," the federal official indicated.  

On the other hand, he also made known the technical considerations on this change in the COVID-19 vaccination policy, which the World Health Organization (WHO) issued through its Strategic Advisory Group, in consensus with the Mexican Technical Advisory Group on Vaccination.