CARACAS, Sept 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 3.3 million Venezuelans, or just over 10 per cent of the population, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to a survey by a group of doctors linked to the South American nation’s universities.
The survey showed that 25.3 per cent had received one dose and 10.6 per cent had received both. Applying those results proportionally to the entire population, he concluded that 6.4 million people, or 22 per cent of the population has received one shot and 3.3 million, or 11 per cent, has received both.
The data is similar to vaccinations rates tracked by Our World in Data, which shows 21 per cent receiving at least a first dose and 12 per cent fully vaccinated.
The number of new COVID-19 cases is rising again in Venezuela, with over 1,100 new cases reported on average each day, the highest since early April.
The government of Venezuela, with some 28.7 million inhabitants, has only sporadically released data and has never provided detailed figures about vaccinations by age, gender or location. It says it expects by October to inoculate 70 per cent of the population, or 22 million people.
Since May, the government of President Nicolas Maduro has been administering the Russian Sputnik V and Chinese Sinopharm vaccines to combat the pandemic.
“(The survey) is part of an initiative of the academic sector … because we have not had regular figures,” said Dr. Julio Castro, an infectious disease expert, at a press conference.
The researchers contacted 2,436 people between Aug 23-27 in 290 of the country’s 335 municipalities, said Castro. The sample has a 2.03 per cent margin of error, he added. — NNN-AGENCIES
