Belize increased its number of vaccines after receiving 132,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) on Thursday, August 26th. The doses were made available through a partnership with UNICEF and the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust. Present for the arrival was Dr. Melissa Diaz Musa, Deputy Regional Manager, Central Health Region, on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), and Ms. Paulett Wade, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNICEF Belize.
The single-dose vaccine is 66.3% effective in clinical trials in preventing the disease, according to Johnson & Johnson. Complete protection of the dose is effective two weeks after getting vaccinated. In clinical trials, the vaccine demonstrated high efficacy in preventing hospitalization and death in infected people. In addition, it was proven that no one who contracted the virus at least four weeks after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was hospitalized.
MOHW stated that those able to be vaccinated would soon have another option at the vaccination sites when inquiring about COVID-19 vaccines. The country is currently administering AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Pfizer.
Once vaccinated, people must continue following the health protocols by practicing proper hand hygiene, mask-wearing in public places, and maintaining social distance. The vaccine does not prevent getting sick with COVID-19, but it prevents hospitalization and potential death from this virus.
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