Ben Anson / The Santiago Times Staff

Undersecretary of Public Health Paula Daza called on all regions to prioritize the COVID-19 vaccinations of people over 65 to reach 80% of the target population.

“We have managed to vaccinate 70% of adults over 80 years of age and 74% of the elderly between 70 and 80 years,” Daza said.

The government has received a positive response to the vaccination program. “We are on the right track,” she commented because “we still have six weeks to finish this first stage,” which corresponds to the first quarter of 2021.

61% of people over 65 or 1.5 million elderly adults have received their first dose. “To reach 80%” of this age group – which is the goal set by the Government – we need to vaccinate 450,000 people next week,” Garza stated.

Garza emphasized the call to “respect the prioritization of groups at risk. She is asking the regions of Arica, Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, La Araucanía, Los Ríos and Aysén “to focus on vaccinating the population over 65 years of age next week.