More than 93 per cent of the health ministry’s priority group has received their booster dose for COVID-19. The week-long booster dose campaign ended yesterday. The ministry rolled out the booster dose campaign across the country amid concerns of the new Omicron variant taking global COVID infections to record high.
More than 170,000 individuals across the country were given the booster dose in the past week. That is seven per cent short of the ministry’s target. The ministry expected to vaccinate 185, 000 individuals during the week-long campaign.
In Sarpang, more than 33,000 individuals were vaccinated across 45 vaccination centres. It is an increase by over 2000 compared to the second round of nationwide COVID vaccination campaign.
Dr Choeda, the Medical Superintendent of Gelephu Central Regional Referral Hospital said the increase in the number this time could be due to more people from other districts coming to Sarpang for the winter.
Bhutan became the first country in the South Asian region to administer booster dose. It was for the priority group which includes residents above 18 years in the high-risk areas, elderly above the age of 65, health workers, people with medical conditions and outbound travellers above 18 years.
With the booster dose complete, the residents are hoping the seven-day mandatory quarantine while travelling to low-risk areas will be reduced.
However, according to a member of the Technical Advisory Group, it would be a bad time to lift the quarantine when the omicron variant is raging across the globe. He said reducing the seven day quarantine period would be the same as not having it. He added seven days is the minimum threshold to detect the infection. He also said the booster dose is to boost the antibody level and improve protection against the virus. The antibody level and effect of a vaccine wanes after about six months. People received the second dose in July.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
