The Pfizer vaccine has so far been authorised for young people aged between 12 and 17.  

Anyone who received the first dose of the AstraZeneca or Sinovac vaccines will be able to receive the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, the government said in a statement.

The move was considered an important milestone in the country’s on-going fight against COVID-19, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Armanda Berta dos Santos and the Minister of Health, Odete Maria Freitas Belo said when they presented the vaccine change to the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

As of Friday, Timor-Leste has fully vaccinated 36.9% of its young people aged 12-17 with Pfizer COVID-19 shots. Some 71.6% of young people in the same age bracket have received at least one dose. 

In Dili, where vaccination rates are the highest in Timor-Leste, some 74% of young people between 12 and 17 already have two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

In the adult population, 72.2% have already received at least two doses and 84.6% have already received at least one dose of the vaccine against COVID-19, according to official medical data.

COVID-19 case numbers in Timor-Leste have decreased considerably from a peak in February with just 22 cases reported in the last week.