Chile becomes first Latin American country to administer "fourth dose" of COVID vaccine

Chile is has become the first country in Latin America to start giving out the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as the Omicron variant is causing a lot of people to get sick.

As per reports, the fourth dose will be given out on the basis of priority groups, and people with weak immune systems will get them first. While, in February, the campaign will be widened to everyone over the age of 55.

There are more infections in South America, which was hit hard by the pandemic's first wave, now that it has spread. Since then, some countries have been able to get a lot of people vaccinated.

The health ministry says that over 14 million people over the age of three in Chile have been fully vaccinated. Out of a population of 19 million, more than 14 million people have been vaccinated. A third dose has already been given to about 11.3 million people.

The country's campaign began with a vaccine made in China called Sinovac. When the programme is expanded, it will also include fourth doses, Sinovac, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca jabs will be used.

Sebastián Piñera- the President, went to a hospital in Santiago on Monday, where the fourth vaccine was being given. The jabs are "safe and work," he said, urging people to get them.

"In what you're doing, you don't have to be responsible for what you do. If you don't get vaccinated, you'll get sick, and you'll spread the disease to your family, your partner, and your coworkers," said the President to people who don't want to get vaccinated.

There has been a big rise in cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus globally. However, studies show that it is less dangerous than other variants of the virus, especially for people who have been vaccinated. Nevertheless, the high rate of infection is placing a lot of strain on health care.

Israel started giving out a fourth Covid-19 vaccine widely earlier this month, and it is thought to be the first country to do so. There have been a lot of new cases in South America lately. Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru have all had a lot of new recent cases.

Official numbers don't show how bad the situation is going to be, but experts say it could be even worse than they suggest. Infections are also rising in the region's largest country, Brazil. There was a data blackout caused by hackers and not enough testing.