New VIP vaccination scandal in Latin America: the lie of a senator who refuses to resign in Paraguay

This time, the VIP vaccination scandal shakes Paraguay, where Colorado Party Senator Mirta Gusinky, presented this morning a letter to the President of the Congress, Óscar Salomón, in which She made her position “available to her colleagues” after it was confirmed that she was vaccinated against COVID-19 without being in the age range.

At first, the senator denied the fact, but after being silent for a few days, she limited herself today to apologizing through the said note, without having yet resigned from her post.

“I take my responsibility for being wrong in what has been said to the media”, he began the brief, thereby admitting to having lied in his previous statement.

He alleged that he did so because he intended not to harm the health workers who, in his own words, gave him “Life expectancy” when you receive the vaccine. He added that he had been informed of the existence of vaccines which “should not spoil” and that he had been offered to be vaccinated. He did not miss this opportunity and “immediately” accepted.

The senator, who turned 73 in February, did not qualify for the country’s vaccination campaign since it is only activated for people over 75.

She appealed to the feelings of her colleagues by asking them to think that she is a woman who lives alone and in poor health, for whom she has been hospitalized several times in recent months. He also added that he agreed without analyzing the consequences of his vaccination and received the dose with great hope. At the end he commented: “Put yourself in my shoes, what would you do about it?”

He also assured that he does not justify his statements and therefore apologizes to citizens for their actions. “I put myself at the disposal of the plenary session so that they can analyze the situation and make the determination that corresponds to their understanding. I understand that we are obliged to understand the context of the situation, these are very sensitive times and I accept my mistake responsibly ”.

So far, the party to which Gusinky belongs has not expressed a firm position on the possibility of a further impeachment in the Senate. Several opponents, many citizens and even members of the Department of Health demand that Gusinky resign or be expelled from Congress.

On social media this morning, a list of at least 500 people this could be part of the “VIP vaccination”. This specific case is already the subject of an investigation by the Ministry of Health, which constantly assures from its Twitter account that all irregularities in the vaccination plan are being investigated, although to date no progress has been made in any of the cases.

SIMILAR CASES

Four ministers from Peru, Argentina and Ecuador resigned in February or are still under investigation because they are suspected of having received or granted preferential access to rare injections of COVID-19. Prosecutors in those countries and in Brazil are reviewing thousands of other allegations of wrongdoing during vaccination campaigns, most involving local politicians and family members who jumped the line.

“They all knew the patients were dying,” said Robert Campos, a doctor from Lima, of politicians in his country, “and they vaccinated every last crowd of their people.”

“It is much harder for people to tolerate corruption when health is at stake,” said Mariel Fornoni, a pollster in Buenos Aires.

The nerve of some of these scandals, many of which resemble cases in Lebanon, Spain and the Philippines, has scandalized the region.

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