February 12, 2021
Honduras President and members of his Cabinet announced that they have relinquished their right granted by Honduras laws which mandates that State´s officials, both elected and appointed, are a priority group in national vaccination programs. This decision responds to Hernandez´s administration policy of granting access to the most vulnerable groups to COVID-19, including the elderly with pre-existing diseases and to the front-liner workers.
This means that the Honduras President and all members of his cabinet will be vaccinated according to their age and health condition.
In the case of the officials of other State Powers, President Hernández exhorted them in joining his decision. “With all due respect due to the independence of the State Powers and democratic institutions , I invite the other branches of the State to do the same, and that every senior government official be categorized, as any other regular citizen, according to their age and health status. It is the fair thing to do.” Hernández said.
The Central American country is expecting to start the national vaccination process in a few days, aiming to immunize about 81 percent of the population eligible to receive treatment.
According to the guidelines of the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO / WHO), the first phase of vaccination will target health, relief and security workers, ant the elderly population with one or more morbidities or residing at nursing homes and day centres. In that sense, Hernández instructed that the quota that corresponds to the officials of the Executive Branch be assigned to the elderly, who are more vulnerable to the deadly effects of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the second phase will target adults over 60 years of age, a population with comorbidities and underlying conditions between 18 and 60 years of age, and essential workers.
Honduras counts with a success record of its National Vaccination Program. Since the program started 40 years ago, there has been 39 years without cases of diphtheria, 31 years without records of polio cases, 23 years without records of measles, 19 years without records of congenital rubella. In 2016, PAHO certified the eradication of measles outbreaks.