SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Baja California’s Secretary of Health Alonso Pérez Rico — and thousands of other people — have been waiting for this day for a long time as the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive in the state later this evening.
The inoculations are supposed to be provided at 16 municipalities throughout Baja California, including Tijuana.
There are conflicting reports as to where the first vaccines will be given out.
Initially, they were to take place at a military installation in Tijuana, but now it appears the event has been changed to the state building.
Ten healthcare workers have been selected to receive the first shots, followed by thousands more at 16 hospitals and other medical facilities throughout Tijuana.
“There are about 12,000 people in the medical field who will be vaccinated within seven days, that’s our objective,” Pérez Rico said. “The army and the national guard will be safeguarding the materials and facilities, I feel confident we can do 12,000 vaccinations in a week.”
According to Pérez Rico, the goal is to inoculate 30,000 healthcare workers throughout the state by the end of January.
“That’s our focus right now, then we’ll then move on to our second and third wave of vaccinations,” he said.
The state of Baja California is following strategy developed in conjunction with Mexico’s federal government to address the medical sector first when it comes to the vaccine.
If all goes according to plan, in February, people 60 and older will be given the opportunity to get vaccinated with the general population to follow by March or early April.
Since the pandemic began, 2,592 people have died as a result of COVID-19 in Tijuana. By comparison, the virus has claimed the lives of 1,857 just north of the border in San Diego County.
