BRASILIA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government plans to approve the application of the second booster dose against COVID-19 for people over 50 years old, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said Thursday.

       "The second booster dose was authorized for those over 60 years old (in May), and will be extended to those over 50," he told the press from Brasilia, adding that details will be released in a technical note in the coming hours.

       In approving the second booster dose, the Health Ministry recommended that it be administered four months after the first.

       This comes at a time when the South American country is registering an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations, while states and municipalities are once again urging the use of masks in closed spaces.

       To date, 166.1 million people (77.4 percent of the population) in Brazil are fully vaccinated, while almost 93 million have gotten at least one booster dose and 3.5 million two booster doses.