Chile has more than enough vaccines: it sends 40,000 doses to Ecuador and Paraguay

SANTIAGO, Chile – With its wheeled vaccination campaign, the most advanced in the region, Chile donated 20,000 vaccines from Chinese laboratory Sinovac to Ecuador and another similar amount to Paraguay for health workers fighting on the front line against the coronavirus.

This was announced this Saturday by the authorities of the three countries. Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Delgado confirmed the information announced on Twitter by Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno.

“Bilateral relations are bearing great fruit! The Chilean government has delivered 20,000 Sinovac vaccines to Ecuador for health workers. It is a manifestation of solidarity between countries “Moreno tweeted, while thanking his Chilean counterpart Sebastián Piñera for sharing “the ideal of fighting for immunity in the region”.

The Ecuadorian Ministry of Health said that the health regulatory authority had issued certification and authorization for the entry of the CoronaVac vaccine, from the Sinovac laboratory, into Ecuadorian territory. “This vaccine is approved for emergency use by the Regional Reference High Surveillance Centers qualified by the World Health Organization,” he added.

Ecuador provided vaccines with Pfizer, AstraZeneca and the WHO-led Covax initiative. Last month, he signed an agreement with the Sinovac laboratory to acquire two million doses that will be delivered between March and April of this year.

So far, it has vaccinated around 65,000 people with the first dose of Pfizer, especially medical staff and the elderly in nursing homes, and hopes to start mass vaccination in April depending on laboratory availability. , according to the government.

The Paraguayan Foreign Ministry in turn announced the arrival of a similar number of doses to the country, also donated by Chile. at a time when President Mario Abdo Benítez faces protests against pandemic management.

“Paraguay has requested Chile’s cooperation to obtain 20,000 doses of the CoronaVac vaccine, produced by the Sinovac laboratory, for the immunization of 10,000 front-line medical personnel,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. .

The Chilean government< compte tenu des liens d'amitié profonds qui unissent les deux peuples et leurs présidents >> accepted this request within the framework of PROSUR (Forum for the Progress of South America) and “in the sense of seeking equitable and universal access to vaccines considered as a public good”, he added .

Paraguay’s vaccination program began at the end of February with 4,000 doses of Sputnik V, the first to reach the country out of a total volume of one million that the government negotiated with the Russian Fund for Direct Investments.

Critical care healthcare professionals were the first to receive the vaccine and the doses of Sinovac given by Chile will be used to continue the vaccination of personnel in the same sectorthe health ministry said in a statement.

Chile has so far received more than eight million vaccines between those sent by Sinovac and Pfizer / Biontech. As a result, more than four million people received the first dose and 535,600 were vaccinated with the second, amid a rapid vaccination process that began on December 24 with medical staff and on February 3 en masse. .

AP, AFP and Reuters agencies

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