Colombia Roaring Past 35 Million Covid-19 Shots; Medellin Nears 2 Million

Colombia President Ivan Duque announced July 31 that the nation is on its way to surpass a goal of at least 35 million vaccinations against Covid-19 by end-August 2021 – well ahead of schedule.

Vaccinations are now surging at more than 400,000 persons daily.

With Colombia already having 15.5 million people at least partially vaccinated as of July 31 — along with 12.2 million now fully vaccinated — this means Colombia looks on-target to exceed 35 million vaccinations by the end of this month (August).

As of July 31, Colombia had already achieved 27.5 million vaccinations — 2.5 million more than originally targeted for July. If the nation can achieve an average of about 350,000 shots daily this month, then it will easily surpass the 35-million-shot goal for August.

Meanwhile, Colombia is expanding its vaccination campaign, adding everyone at least 18-years-old, starting this month. That will be followed by a second campaign for those at least 12 years old, starting in late August, according to Health Minister Fernando Ruiz.

The surging vaccination rates spur confidence that Colombia will indeed achieve its goal of getting all 35 million of its most vulnerable populations fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by December 2021.

Meanwhile, Medellin as of July 31 reported having completed 1.89 million total vaccinations, with nearly 900,000 now fully vaccinated – including 717,00 getting the required two-dose regime plus 182,000 more getting the Janssen one-dose shot, according to latest official statistics.

While anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists and some extremist politicians (now even including left-wing demagogue Senator Gustavo Petro) are attacking science-based Covid-19 vaccinations as “useless,” President Duque in contrast urges citizens to stay the course.

“Getting vaccinated is everyone’s duty,” Duque stated, adding that the government aims to “quickly reach 30 million,” hence bringing the hoped-for “herd immunity” ever-closer.