MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan homes for the elderly not fond of Covid-19 vax booster doses

Vaccinated or not, people still get infected, they argued

One day after Uruguay's Health Ministry announced a new Covid-19 vaccination campaign, a business guild bringing together homes for the elderly announced no booster doses would be encouraged on their part.

The Association of Residential Homes for the Elderly of Uruguay (Aderama) “does not adhere to encourage its associates” to be vaccinated again or not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus with the new annual dose promoted by the government for those over 70 years of age, the organization said in a statement.

Aderama, which brings together 250 residential homes, will leave it up ”to the professional criteria of each technical director of the Elepem (Long Stay Establishment for the Elderly) to advise on this decision,“ the communiqué went on.

Health Minister Karina Rando launched on Tuesday a new immunization endeavor for people over 50 years of age with comorbidities, all those over 70 years of age, pregnant women, and immunosuppressed patients.

The group noted that an increasing number of ”residents and family members“ were showing ”doubts or directly refuse to receive such dose.“

Aderama said the main reasons for such an attitude had to do with the drug's ”lack of coverage and the lack of transmissibility (they still get infected),“ and that ”it was never explained if the deaths were “BY” Covid or “WITH” Covid,“ among others. Hence, patients have ”no certainty“ that ”with a new inoculation the disease is prevented“ and argue that ”herd immunity already exists.“ They also insisted on the ”non-compulsory“ nature of the treatment amid ”a bombardment of crossed information in mass media“ coupled with no unanimous vision regarding possible ”cardiovascular side effects in healthy people produced by intravascular coagulopathies.“

According to Uruguayan authorities, 90% of deaths from Covid-19 last year in the South American country were of people over 65 years of age. Those over 60 and patients with comorbidities are those who have suffered from the disease severely, therefore, the MSP decided to prioritize them in the 2024 campaign.

”Our priority is to vaccinate those who are still at risk of developing serious illness or even death from the virus. We mainly focus on older adults and people with health conditions that weaken their immune system or that are associated with a higher risk of presenting severe covid-19,” the Health Ministry explained.

Younger patients only have mild symptoms of Covid-19 and therefore no booster dose was recommended for them. Health authorities claim that the immunity acquired in previous vaccinations persisted.