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  • Writer's pictureBy Pacific Island Times News Staff

Guam has only 279 doses of vaccine left; DPHSS orders 35,260 doses for March



Guam has only 279 doses of Covid-19 vaccines left for the rest of February, the Joint Information Center said Friday, announcing the postponement of vaccination clinic scheduled for the weekend.


The Department of Public Health and Social Services has placed an order of 14,200 doses of Moderna and 21,060 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, totaling 35,260 Covid-19 vaccines for the month of March, according to JIC.


Both vaccines are anticipated to arrive within three to five business days.


Government officials said Guam has administered 99.46 percent of the 51,300 doses if has previously received. A total of 31,283 have completed their shots, while 19,738 have received their first.


Guam is targeting 80 percent immunization by July 21.


"As the island continues toward achieving herd immunity, global demand for the vaccine will affect supply levels, which may affect vaccination clinics," JIC said.


Government officials said due to the limited supply for the rest of February, the vaccination clinic scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27, at the UOG Fieldhouse will be postponed.


"Affected individuals may receive a call from the UOG Call Center on behalf of DPHSS, informing them of the clinic postponement," JIC said. "Once vaccine supply is restored, additional vaccination clinics will be scheduled and announced to ensure these individuals complete their vaccination series."


Officials said short-term deferral of the second dose will not decrease the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, nor will affected individuals be required to restart the vaccination series.


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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible. The CDC further states that if it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval and a delay in vaccination is unavoidable, the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna -19 vaccines may be administered up to six weeks after the first dose.


Meanwhile, four new cases of Covid-19 were identified out of 362 tests performed on Thursday, Feb. 25, JIC said.


To date, there have been a total of 7,734 officially reported cases with 130 deaths, 40 cases in active isolation, and 7,564 not in active isolation.

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