"Because we never lose sight of those who have to take care of us, we will very soon start with the third booster dose for health professionals, something that was already programmed and approved by the Technical Vaccination Commission", said António Lacerda Sales.

The government official explained that "this action had not been publicised" because from an operational and logistical point of view "it is always a complex process", but he assured that by the end of the week guidance will be released.

"It's a process in which we have to start with the most vulnerable groups, and we did so and now, very soon, by the end of the week, there will certainly be a standardisation for the third dose for health professionals and the social sector”, announced the Deputy Secretary of State and Health.

The Independent Union of Physicians and the Medical Association had already appealed to the Government to administer the third dose of the vaccine to health professionals, noting that they were among the first to be vaccinated in late December 2020 and in January of this year, said the president from the Ordem dos Médicos, Miguel Guimarães.