(Bloomberg) -- Most Colombians won't get a Covid-19 shot before 2022, according the health ministry.
Only about one-third of the population, or 15 million people, are expected to receive a vaccine for the disease next year, the ministry said, in response to questions from congressman Jose Daniel Lopez.
People over 60 will be first in line for shots, along with health-care workers and those most at risk from underlying conditions, according to a health ministry document posted online by Lopez. The ministry confirmed its authenticity.
While the U.K. already launched its immunization program and the U.S. is gearing up to deploy the first vaccine, it will likely be months before many developing countries such as Colombia have access.
A second phase, that isn't expected until 2022, will likely include pregnant women and other essential workers such as teachers, according to the document.
It may take until 2023 before Colombia achieves so-called “herd immunity”, with enough people protected to prevent the disease from spreading, according to Jorge Martin Rodriguez, professor of public health policy at Javeriana University in Bogota.
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