From today, the Government carries out a special vaccination session to mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19

• Minister of Health explains they cannot force people to get vaccinated; they only make recommendations

• The day will cover five demarcations

Starting this Thursday morning, the Government begins a special vaccination day against COVID-19 in Greater Santo Domingo, Peravia, Azua, Barahona, and San Cristóbal, where in addition to the usual centers, mobile posts have been installed so that people have greater access to the inoculation.

The health authorities have applied 4,456,516 doses of vaccines against COVID-19. According to accumulated data, as of June 1 of the National Vaccination Plan, 3,313,861 first doses have been administered, and 1,142,655 people are already fully immunized.

For the development of this new campaign, which will be carried out from today until Sunday, Public Health added another 19 vaccination points in Greater Santo Domingo and has the support of the Ministries of Education, Public Works, Defense, the Social Cabinet, the Dominican Agrarian Institute, the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII), the electric companies, Environment, Industry and Commerce, Interior and Police, Customs, Agriculture and the Agricultural Bank.

In this regard, the Minister of Health, Daniel Rivera, called on the population to join in, since only with the vaccine, masks, physical distancing, and constant handwashing will it be possible to combat the virus and reduce the level of contagion effectively.

In addition to vaccination, and as part of the special intervention due to the high number of COVID-19 cases registered in these districts, the authorities will perform PCR sampling, isolating that positive and offering guidance to the population.

Infotep mobile workshops will function as vaccination posts. ( EXTERNAL SOURCE )

On Monday, the Instituto Tecnológico de Formación Técnico Profesional (Infotep) delivered Public Health 10 of its mobile workshops to be used in the vaccination and sampling COVID-19.

The entity also made available to the health authorities it’s other mobile workshops nationwide, which total 56, as well as its facilities to reinforce the national vaccination campaign.

Voluntary vaccination

On the other hand, in response to various reports that companies are forcing their employees to be vaccinated, Rivera explained that as a ministry, they could not force people to be inoculated, since their role, as well as that of the State, is to make recommendations to the entities and the population to be vaccinated, but not to force them to be vaccinated.

“I have seen companies that have told their personnel that they have a period of so many days to get vaccinated or they cannot continue in our company, I have seen that but it is not… nor can we do it by decree, nor by the State, make this type of decision, they are recommendations,” explained Rivera.

The doctor pointed out that there are many ways to motivate people to get vaccinated, but it is an individual responsibility.

Likewise, the minister pointed out that some companies have signed in their premises indicating that all their personnel has been vaccinated to be visited safely. In this sense, he proposed to do the same with Dominican homes if they allow it.

Special schedule for the holiday

This Thursday, due to the Corpus Christi holiday, the COVID-19 vaccination centers will operate during special hours.

At Agora Mall, the former La Bodega, Sirena- Churchill, Jumbo- Megacentro, and Jumbo- San Isidro, will be vaccinating from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

They will be vaccinating until 4:00 in the afternoon at the Centro Olímpico- Pabellón de Combate and until 5:00 in the afternoon at the Downtown Center Plaza.

In Plaza Lama- 27 de Febrero and Plaza Duarte-Carrefour, they will be receiving people until 6:00 in the afternoon.

From 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., doses against COVID-19 will be administered at the vaccination centers, which, in Santiago, are located at the Nacional-Estrella Sadhalá and Sirena-Bartolomé Colón supermarkets.