In 2020, MSF began working in Puerto Rico to provide home-based care and COVID-19 monitoring for people isolated at home in multiple communities. Staff from this effort went on to form Puerto Rico Salud, which will carry out the two-month vaccination effort with MSF's support. The Department of Health is providing the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, which requires only one dose, and the Colegio de Profesionales de Enfermería de Puerto Rico is aiding in the safe storage of the vaccines.
In the coming days, health workers from Puerto Rico Salud will begin visiting communities to vaccinate people whom community leaders have identified as lacking access to existing vaccination programs. These vaccinations may take place in local health centers or community buildings, or, when necessary, in people’s homes.
"Based on our experience in Puerto Rico, we understand the logistical challenges of bringing health care to geographically isolated areas, to people who are homeless, or to those who are home-bound due to chronic health issues," said Sophie Delaunay, coordinator for MSF in Puerto Rico. "While all too often, health care providers lack the means to ensure that hard-to-reach people are vaccinated, we are showing a way to overcome these challenges."
As the COVID-19 vaccination rollout ramps up throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico continues to have one of the lowest vaccination rates among U.S. states and territories, highlighting disparities in access to medical services and a lag in administering doses or recording them. According to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker, as of March 25, Puerto Rico has received 1,310,000 vaccine doses, of which 867,570 have been administered.
“Thanks to the commitment of our nursing professionals in Puerto Rico we will have the opportunity to join with Doctors Without Borders and support this vaccination effort against COVID-19,” said Dr. Ana García, president of the Colegio de Profesionales de Enfermería de Puerto Rico. “Our goal is to reach places that are difficult to access in order to ensure that we can impact as many people as possible."
Puerto Rico's vaccination efforts have targeted primarily health professionals, frontline workers, people 65 years old and above, people above 60 years old with chronic conditions, prisoners and people with disabilities. As of mid-March, Puerto Rico has reported more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 2,000 deaths.
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