Puerto Rico’s Department of Health is investigating the possible violation of the regulations that determine the order of vaccination on the island by priority groups, as fears are mounting among the elderly about vaccination and Governor Pedro Pierluisi calls for calm.
Complaints, resignation requests and general dissatisfaction are multiplying this Friday in Puerto Rico due to suspicions that the vaccination order set by regulations is not being respected, adding to a growing concern among people over 65 for receiving their doses while deaths and new infections keep piling up.
The situation prompted Pierluisi himself to respond, who in a statement called for calm in the face of a situation that is more troubling every day.
“Let’s keep calm. All people 65 or older will be called up for vaccination. We thank the Department of Health, Ricky Martin Foundation and Vozpuertorico for the hard work they are doing to achieve the goal of protecting all of our older adults. Pierluisi remarked.
He also said that thanks to its relationship with the United States, the island is in a better situation than more than 90% of the countries in the world.
“Our Caribbean neighbors, such as the Dominican Republic, expect their first doses after March at the earliest. In Puerto Rico, approximately 400,000 doses of the covid-19 vaccine have been administered,” he said.
PUERTO RICO RECEIVES 40,000 VACCINES WEEKLY
“It’s important to understand that we only get about 40,000 vaccinations a week, so it will take time to reach all of our residents,” he clarified.
“I urge you to trust the good faith of all government health personnel and mine,” he concluded.
Pierluisi’s words come after local media reported last Friday that the health department has conducted 15 inspections at vaccination centers and is maintaining five investigations as a result of confidential statements for alleged violations of the order of vaccination.
The government agency launched the initiative after Health Minister Carlos Mellado issued an administrative order on Feb. 4 to pay a $ 5,000 fine to individuals or entities authorized to vaccinate and who ordered only people from 65 years or older to inoculate.
BREACH OF REGULATIONS BY THE JUDGE’S ADMINISTRATION
The initiative stems from the violation of the priority vaccination order that was committed in the Court Administration Office with the permission of the Puerto Rico National Guard, who justified it on the grounds that it was supposedly people who had to act as the first response of the staff.
For this reason, the seven vaccination centers of the National Guard are under the supervision of staff of the Research Office, so that compliance with administrative regulation 2021-480 is certified.
The Mayor of Salinas Municipality, Karilyn Bonilla, today denounced that only 300 vaccines for the elderly have been sent to her municipality and that they have not received more in more than three weeks.
“The waiting list is endless. Our position to the Ministry of Health is that the distribution should be proportional to the population by city,” he said.
The mayor of Orocovis, Jesús Colón, requested the resignation of the Minister of Health and the adjutant general of the National Guard, General José Reyes, for their alleged negligence in handling vaccinations.
“I request the Governor to request the resignation of the Health Minister and General Reyes, as they have demonstrated that they are unable to deal with this situation,” he said.
Comerío’s mayor, José Santiago, pointed out that vaccines are not reaching the mountain villages.
The Department of Health defends that vaccines are distributed by the Mortality Guide, which means that priority is given to the municipalities where the most people die from Covid-19.
The agency reported five additional deaths and 226 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on Friday.