They put on the shirt for this campaign
En el extremo austral de Chile, la región de Aysén ha convertido un desafío logístico en una lección sobre colaboración: al llevar las vacunas contra la influenza a supermercados, universidades y barrios de altura, ha alcanzado una cobertura del 68,8%, situándose entre las cuatro regiones con mejor desempeño del país. El logro no surge de recursos extraordinarios, sino de la decisión de encontrar a las personas donde ya están, antes de que el invierno profundice su rigor. Aun así, la campaña recuerda que los avances colectivos rara vez son uniformes: las ciudades más grandes todavía albergan bolsones de rezago, y los más vulnerables —ancianos y niños pequeños— siguen siendo la cuenta pendiente.
- Con el invierno austral acercándose, cada día sin vacunar a un adulto mayor o a un niño pequeño es una ventana de riesgo que se estrecha.
- La región movilizó supermercados, mutuales, la universidad y equipos de salud comunitaria para desbordar los límites del sistema clínico tradicional.
- El ritmo diario de vacunación creció un 8,2% respecto a 2025, sumando más de mil personas adicionales en comparación con la misma fecha del año anterior.
- Las comunas más pequeñas y remotas —Guaitecas, Lago Verde, Tortel, Cisnes— superaron el 70%, mientras Coyhaique y Aysén ciudad aún no alcanzan el promedio regional.
- La autoridad sanitaria mantiene el llamado directo a mayores de 60 años y niños de seis meses a cinco años, los grupos con menor adherencia y mayor riesgo de complicaciones graves.
Aysén llegó a mediados de mayo con el 68,8% de su población objetivo vacunada contra la influenza, ubicándose entre las cuatro regiones con mejor cobertura de Chile. El resultado no fue casual: la seremi de Salud apostó por lo que sus autoridades llaman trabajo intersectorial, una estrategia que en la práctica significó abrir puntos de vacunación en supermercados de Coyhaique y Puerto Aysén, en las instalaciones de la Asociación Chilena de Seguridad y la Mutual de Seguridad, en la Universidad de Aysén y en los sectores altos de la capital regional, donde acercarse a un centro de salud tradicional implica un esfuerzo adicional. El seremi Jorge Pérez Urra visitó personalmente los puntos de vacunación durante los fines de semana, y describió a los equipos como gente que «se puso la camiseta».
Los números respaldan el impulso: se vacunan 408 personas diarias en promedio, un 8,2% más que en el mismo período de 2025, y la región acumula 1.014 vacunados adicionales respecto a la misma fecha del año anterior. Sin embargo, la campaña no avanza de manera uniforme. Las dos ciudades más grandes quedan por debajo del promedio regional —Coyhaique con 67,9% y Aysén con 67,1%—, mientras que comunas pequeñas y alejadas como Guaitecas, Lago Verde, Tortel y Cisnes ya superaron el 70%. La paradoja sugiere que descentralizar los puntos de vacunación beneficia especialmente a quienes más dificultades tendrían para desplazarse, y que las urbes mayores aún esconden bolsones de personas que no han dado ese paso.
Dos grupos concentran la preocupación de las autoridades: los mayores de 60 años y los niños de entre seis meses y cinco años, ambos con mayor riesgo de complicaciones graves y con tasas de cobertura por debajo de lo esperado. La vacuna es gratuita para todos los grupos prioritarios —que incluyen también a trabajadores de la salud, personas con enfermedades crónicas, embarazadas y funcionarios de establecimientos educacionales— y los puntos de atención permanecen activos en toda la región. Antes de que el invierno se instale del todo, la apuesta de Aysén es que la red de alianzas construida durante estas semanas siga empujando las cifras hacia arriba.
Aysén has pulled ahead of most of Chile in getting people vaccinated against the flu. As of mid-May, the southern region had reached 68.8% coverage—a mark that places it among the nation's four best-performing regions. The achievement is not accidental. It is the result of deliberate coordination between public health workers, private companies, and local institutions that decided to meet people where they already were.
The regional health authority, led by seremi Jorge Pérez Urra, has emphasized that this success came from what officials call intersectoral work—a term that in practice means opening vaccination sites far beyond the usual clinic walls. Supermarkets in Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén became vaccination points. The Chilean Safety Association and the Mutual de Seguridad opened their facilities. The municipality of Coyhaique and the University of Aysén did the same. Health teams from the public system's community health centers fanned out across neighborhoods, including the higher-elevation sectors of Coyhaique where foot traffic to a central clinic might be sparse. Pérez Urra visited vaccination sites on weekends to observe the work firsthand, and spoke of the teams as having "put on the shirt" for the campaign—a colloquialism suggesting genuine commitment.
The numbers show momentum. On average, 408 people from the target groups are being vaccinated each day, which represents an 8.2% increase over the same period in 2025, when the daily average was 377. Compared to the same date last year, the region has vaccinated 1,014 more people overall—a 2.7% gain. These are not dramatic swings, but they are consistent gains in a region where winter respiratory illness is a genuine public health concern.
Yet the campaign is uneven across Aysén's territory. The two largest cities lag slightly. Coyhaique, the regional capital, has achieved 67.9% coverage among its target population, while the city of Aysén itself stands at 67.1%—both below the regional average. Meanwhile, smaller communes have outpaced the whole: Guaitecas, Lago Verde, Tortel, and Cisnes have all surpassed 70% coverage. The disparity suggests that the strategy of decentralized vaccination sites works particularly well in places where people might otherwise have to travel far, and that the larger urban centers, despite their resources, still have pockets of residents who have not yet sought out a vaccine.
Two groups remain the focus of ongoing outreach: adults over 60 and children between six months and five years old. Both are at higher risk of serious complications from influenza, and both have shown lower uptake than other priority groups. The health authority has made a direct appeal to these populations to visit any of the vaccination points now operating across the region. Vaccination is free for all priority groups, a list that extends beyond the elderly and young children to include health workers, people with chronic diseases ranging from diabetes to heart conditions, pregnant women, and school employees. The criteria are detailed and specific, reflecting decades of epidemiological research about who faces the greatest risk.
The campaign continues. There is still time for people to be vaccinated before the southern winter deepens, and the regional health authority is banking on the momentum it has built—the partnerships, the accessible sites, the daily presence of vaccination teams in neighborhoods—to push coverage even higher. What began as a coordination problem has become, in Aysén's telling, a model of how public and private sectors can work together when the stakes are clear and the commitment is real.
Notable Quotes
We are leading this campaign, this did not happen by chance— Jorge Pérez Urra, regional health authority seremi
The teams have put on the shirt for this campaign— Jorge Pérez Urra, describing vaccination workers' commitment
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made Aysén different from other regions? Why did this strategy work here and not elsewhere?
The key was that they didn't wait for people to come to them. They went to supermarkets, to universities, to private companies' facilities. They put vaccination teams in neighborhoods on weekends. It removed friction—you could get vaccinated while shopping, or near where you lived.
But other regions must have tried something similar. What's the actual difference?
Coordination. The health authority, the municipality, the private safety associations, the university—they all agreed to open their doors and staff at the same time. It wasn't scattered efforts. It was deliberate, sustained, and the regional health leader was visibly present, checking on the work.
The numbers show Coyhaique and Aysén city are lagging. Why would the capital city be behind smaller towns?
That's the puzzle. Smaller communes like Guaitecas and Lago Verde are over 70%, while the two largest cities are under 68%. It might be that in smaller towns, a vaccination site in the town center reaches everyone. In a city, people are more dispersed, and even with multiple sites, some neighborhoods get missed.
Are the elderly and young children refusing the vaccine, or just not getting around to it?
The source doesn't say. But the fact that the health authority is making a direct appeal suggests they think it's more about access or awareness than refusal. If people were actively rejecting it, the tone would be different.
What happens if they don't reach those groups before winter really hits?
Then Aysén will see more serious respiratory illness in the most vulnerable populations. That's why the campaign is still running—there's a window, and they're trying to close the gap before it's too late.