Africa-Press – Mauritius. The second component of the Sputnik V vaccine will reach Mauritius in the coming days. As such, the Sputnik V vaccine will continue to be used during the vaccination campaign, but for the time being, it is the Johnson and Johnson vaccine which is being administered to members of the public.
The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, made this announcement, this afternoon, at the press briefing of the National Communication Committee on COVID-19, at the Treasury Building in Port Louis. The President of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Committee, Dr Zouberr Joomaye, was also present.
Speaking about the ongoing vaccination campaign, the Minister indicated that the objective of attaining 60% vaccinated population by October 2021 has already been reached. To date, some 802,980 persons have already received their first dose of vaccine, representing 63,4% of the population in general and 84,5% of the adult population. In addition, some 728,269 persons have already been inoculated with two doses of vaccine, which represent 57,5% of the overall population and 76,6% of the adult population, he underlined.
Dr Jagutpal underscored that the vaccination campaign is still ongoing in all vaccination centres around the country, as well as in mobile centres and in hospitals. As from next week, all patients admitted in hospitals, and who have not yet been inoculated, will receive the vaccine. He also pointed out that, as from next week, the Sputnik V vaccine will be offered in five vaccination centres adding that special provisions will be made for this exercise.
The Health Minister further indicated that the situation in treatment centres and at the New ENT Hospital is as follows: 85 patients are admitted at the New ENT Hospital, out of which 72 have mild symptoms and most of them have comorbidities; five patients present severe but stable conditions; and asymptomatic patients are being monitored due to their medical condition.
He indicated that since last week, the number of persons tested positive to COVID-19 in flu clinics, and who are currently self-isolated amount to 2,950 and are being monitored by the Domiciliary Monitoring Team. These persons are asymptomatic and have already been inoculated with two doses of vaccine. Some 1,590 COVID-19 positive patients are currently in treatment centres, while one additional patient passed away due to COVID-19.
Moreover, Dr Jagutpal stated that there are currently 974 passengers in quarantine centres, while non-vaccinated Mauritians in quarantine centres amount to 635. A total of 3,664 persons have already been vaccinated and are currently in self-isolation.
For his part, Dr Joomaye underlined that sanitary measures, such as proper wearing of masks, use of sanitisers, and social distancing are not thoroughly being observed by a number of citizens. He thus appealed to the population in general to be more cautious, and to avoid unnecessary gatherings, so as to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in the community.
In addition, Dr Joomaye stated that some 2,661 PCR tests have been done yesterday in COVID-19 testing centres. He also cautioned that those who are providing false information so as to receive a dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine despite having been inoculated with another vaccine will be prosecuted.
