Vaccines are controlling the pandemic in Uruguay

The government banked on a fast vaccination campaign to control the pandemic in Uruguay. The data shows the strategy is working.

By Karen A Higgs

Coronavirus

Last updated on August 27, 2021

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Uruguay has a population of almost 3.5 million people. As of August 27 2021, 70% of the population have their second dose of the vaccine against coronavirus and 74% have received the first.

The government banked on a fast vaccination campaign to control the pandemic in Uruguay, instead of lockdowns and stringent restrictions on daily life and the economy. There were criticisms and a dramatic surge in cases and deaths between April and June.

However when you look at this graphic from the Coronavirus UY app, the strategy is working.

This graph shows the number of people vaccinated since Uruguay started vaccinating on March 1. It plots the vaccination rate (first dose, final dose, final dose plus 15 days) against the number of deaths (fallecidos in Spanish).

‘Final doses plus 15 days’ is what we need for current best immunity.

As I write the figure is over 70% of the population making Uruguay one of the world’s most efficient vaccination campaigns.

Find out what vaccinations are administered in Uruguay.

On July 28, the health minister announced that Uruguay would offer a booster shot of Pfizer, particularly for people previously vaccinated with Coronavac (the majority of Uruguayans). While Coronavac has good protection rates they are not quite as high as others.

In this graph as of August 27 2021, you can see the percentage of the population by department that has already received the booster dose. Nationwide, 8.6% of the country’s population has received the booster dose.

The latest on the pandemic in Uruguay

Jan 10 2023 The Uruguay government declared the end of the health emergency on April 1 2022 after 752 days. 82% of the population has received at least two shots.

Covid-19 <- learn how Uruguay dealt with the pandemic
Uruguay Covid travel requirements
Six reasons I’m grateful to have lived in Uruguay during the pandemic.

Disclaimer: Data is from the Coronavirus UY app, which is approved by the Uruguay Ministry of Health. To be able to see these graphics for yourself you must be in Uruguay and registered on the Coronavirus UY app. As they are so useful to see how the country has been dealing with the pandemic, I decided to share some screenshots and explanations with you. Any analysis is based on my own reading and research as an informed member of society in Uruguay. I’m not an expert.

This article was first published on July 29 2021 and updated with new figures on the date above.

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