Asunción - The Paraguayan Ministry of Health has announced that it will receive 1.5 million doses of influenza vaccine between this week and next, and plans to secure additional COVID-19 vaccines in April.

Luis Cousirat, Director of the Expanded Program on Immunization (PAI), stated that the Ministry of Public Health has purchased 1.5 million doses of influenza vaccine, which are expected to arrive this week and undergo approval procedures by the National Directorate of Health Surveillance (Dinavisa).

Vaccination will begin in the first week of April and will be open to all citizens aged 6 months and older. This year's influenza vaccine has been updated with the latest composition. It is a trivalent vaccine that protects against three strains, excluding the B strain, which has not been prevalent since March 2020, bringing Paraguay in line with regional countries.

Meanwhile, the Paraguayan government has also purchased 500,000 doses of the Moderna platform COVID-19 vaccine, which are expected to arrive in mid-April. These vaccines will be administered to severe and high-risk groups.

The Ministry of Health urged citizens to actively participate in vaccination to protect their health and contribute to the formation of herd immunity in the community.