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Free Meningococcal Vaccine Appointments Remain Available in Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Health & Science

Free Meningococcal Vaccine Appointments Remain Available in Montevideo

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Some vaccination centers in Montevideo and Canelones still had MenFive appointments available after earlier slots filled within minutes.
  • Uruguay expanded free vaccination to children aged six, seven and eight, with a broader goal of reaching everyone aged two to 18.
  • Health Minister Cristina Lustemberg said there was no vaccine shortage and that additional doses would be purchased as needed.

Free appointments for Uruguay’s MenFive meningococcal vaccine did not disappear within minutes this time, although demand remained high at several vaccination centers in Montevideo.

Some public and private centers in the capital ran out of appointments quickly, while others still had openings later in the evening. Demand also varied in Canelones, where some centers filled their slots within minutes and others retained availability after registrations reopened.

Demand remains high.

— Uruguay’s Public Health MinistryThe ministry described vaccination demand despite the availability of appointments at some centers.

Access rules differ across the country. Vaccination no longer requires an appointment in Tacuarembó and Paysandú. Cerro Largo, Flores, Florida, Soriano and Lavalleja use a mixture of appointment and walk-in access, while appointments remain required in the other departments.

Health officials attributed the slower pace partly to the more than 100,000 people already vaccinated and to families’ understanding that doses remain available and that their turn will come. “Demand remains high,” the Public Health Ministry said.

Health Minister Cristina Lustemberg announced that free MenFive doses would also be available to children aged six, seven and eight. Previously, the program covered children aged nine to 15, among whom around 120,000 young people had been vaccinated. The ministry aims to reach everyone between two and 18 years old.

There is no vaccine shortage, and more are scheduled to be purchased to continue the staggered schedule planned from the beginning.

— Cristina LustembergThe health minister addressed vaccine supply as eligibility expanded.

“There is no vaccine shortage, and more are scheduled to be purchased to continue the staggered schedule planned from the beginning,” Lustemberg said. She added that the expansion decisions were made on epidemiological grounds. The vaccine covers meningococcal serogroup C, which accounts for more than 80% of reported cases, according to the article.

The ministry plans another mass vaccination event. Each vial can vaccinate up to five people, making coordinated appointments useful for families and helping avoid waste.

These are decisions made from an epidemiological standpoint, not for no reason.

— Cristina LustembergLustemberg explained why eligibility was extended to younger children.
About this summary

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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