Colombia COVID-19 Employer Resources
The Colombian Ministry of Health in its most recent update (February 28) on COVID 19 figures, reported a total of:
- 2,148,249 people recovered,
- 36,659 active cases
- 59,766 deaths
- 2,251,690 confirmed cases.
The Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz, explained that people who have already had coronavirus will be included in the Vaccination Plan in Colombia. Although at the beginning it was hypothesized that immunity when acquiring the disease was sufficient, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the decision was changed. After analyzing this evidence, people who tested positive for coronavirus will no longer be immunized when the vaccination of the general population is completed, but after 90 days of having been diagnosed with the disease and in the prioritization stage in which they are assigned.
Vaccination
Doses of COVID vaccines recently began to arrive in Colombia as follows:
- On February 15, Colombia’s vaccination plan was inaugurated with the first 50,000 doses that arrived in the country manufactured by Pfizer.
- On Saturday, February 20, a flight from China brought 192,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine.
- On February 24 50,310 new doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer arrived in Colombia.
- On March 1, 117,000 doses of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine, which the government acquired through the Covax mechanism, will arrive.
- On March 7, two million doses of vaccines will arrive from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac to continue with the distribution of biologicals in the national territory.
Colombia is the first country in the Americas and the second in the world to receive vaccines via the Covax mechanism.
Preventive Actions
The Ministry of Health decided to modify the norm that established the sanitary protocols to prevent COVID and eliminated a series of measures that were being taken in public places.
The taking of temperature and disinfection of footwear have been eliminated as mandatory protocols; however, social distancing, hand washing, avoidance of crowds, protection of risk groups and restrictions to symptomatic persons are maintained.
The use of face masks, which in the opinion of the Ministry of Health is key; social distancing, hand washing, avoidance of crowds, protection of risk groups and, restrictions on symptomatic persons are maintained. Certain cities maintain curfews and mobility restrictions at the discretion of local Mayors.
COVID-19 vaccine considerations for Colombia
- Can employers mandate the vaccine?
No - Who will control delivery of the vaccine?
Public health service - Who covers the cost of the vaccine?
Government - Where will people get vaccinated?
Designated vaccination sites - Is there cultural resistance to getting the vaccine?
Yes
The vaccines will be distributed in accordance with the phases and stages that correspond to the prioritization of the population. The objective of each phase is to reduce mortality, reduce the incidence of severe cases, protect workers, and reduce contagion.
- Phase 1 – includes all people 80 years and older, health workers from the front line of COVID-19 care, and logistical support personnel for the care line.
- Phase 2 – includes people between 60 and 79 years old, plus other health workers. This will be rolled out in 2 stages.
- Phase 3 – includes the population between 16 and 59 years of age with at least one identified comorbidity (hypertension, diabetes, kidney failure, HIV, cancer, tuberculosis, COPD, asthma, or obesity), the teachers of initial education, preschool, primary and secondary school, as well as the military forces and the national police.
- Stage 4 – includes firefighters, lifeguards, the population deprived of liberty, INPEC guards, personnel from funeral homes, cemeteries and cremation centers, people on the street.
- Stage 5- includes people 16 to 59 years of age who are free of comorbidities.
The vaccination will be administered through the EPS (the public plan) who assigns vaccinators. The vaccinations, in turn, will schedule people according to the databases that the national government maintains. This strategy is to help avoid crowds at the vaccination sites. Each person will come to the indicated place and time, and after their first vaccine will be scheduled for their second.
More COVID-19 information from Colombia’s national government (in Spanish).
Note: Surveys of the Colombian population have recently been conducted regarding the vaccine’s application and its acceptance. People agree that they are afraid of the reactions that these can produce, and for now, the acceptance is low at 43%.
More Information
Colombia’s Ministry of Health COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy (in Spanish)
More News and Statistics about COVID-19 in Colombia
This information is provided by Correcol, Asinta's partner in Colombia.Employee Benefits in Colombia
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Page last modified: March 4, 2021
The information presented on this site is current as of the date initially posted; and, because matters related to COVID-19, the vaccine, and compliance measures are changing so quickly, it may not be current as of the date you read it. While the information gathered here is from Asinta global partners who are subject matter experts in their respective fields, this information is not meant to be a substitute for individual legal or medical advice, or as a substitute for advice in your specific situation.