Coronavirus – Mauritius: Measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in force until end of March 2022, states Minister Jagutpal According to Minister Jagutpal, these measures will then be reviewed, depending on the local COVID-19 situation at that point in time PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, January 13, 2022/APO Group/ -- The series of restrictive measures announced in November 2021 by the Prime Minister so as to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country will still be applicable until the end of March 2022. The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, made this announcement, today, during a press briefing on the COVID-19, held at the seat of his Ministry, in Port-Louis. According to Minister Jagutpal, these measures will then be reviewed, depending on the local COVID-19 situation at that point in time. Speaking about the vaccination campaign, he highlighted that during the past few days, a great number of persons have shown their willingness to receive the vaccine, be it for their first, second or booster dose. He observed that figures for the Republic of Mauritius show that: 955,181 have received a first dose; 915,740 have been vaccinated with two doses; while 238,122 have been inoculated with a booster dose. In Rodrigues, 67,9% of the population has received a first dose, 65,5% a second dose, and 4,303 persons have received the booster dose, he added. As far as the booster dose is concerned, Dr Jagutpal underscored that his Ministry is already proposing the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for those aged between 18 and 39 years old, and the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 40 years and above. He pointed out that there are currently eight vaccination centres that can each inoculate some 800 to 1,000 persons on a daily basis, and that the alphabetical order is still applicable for the booster dose vaccination campaign. He appealed to the public’s comprehension and stated that the Pfizer vaccine is only offered as a booster dose to those aged 40 years and above for the time being due to its availability. Should the Ministry receive additional doses of Pfizer vaccine, same will be offered to other age groups as booster shots, he reassured. With regards to the COVID-19 situation in hospitals, Minister Jagutpal indicated that 12 patients are currently admitted at the New ENT Hospital. One patient with several comorbidities and aged above 70 years is under ventilator; and 11 patients are under oxygen, out of which, six are not vaccinated, nine are aged above 60 years and nine have several comorbidities. He further underlined that the situation at the New ENT Hospital and in other regional hospital is currently stable, with a total of 78 COVID-19 positive patients admitted. He also stressed that the number of persons passing away due to COVID-19 on a daily basis has decreased to reach an average of one or two persons each day. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Mauritius.