Stamboulian: “We had everything planned to buy Pfizer vaccines in July”

As Argentina goes through the second wave of COVID-19, a disease that has already caused more than 3.78 million infections and 78,000 deaths in the country since the onset of the pandemic, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center and Medicine Monitor, and the vaccination rate continues to evolve slowly, Daniel Stamboulian, medical director of Stamboulian Health Services and creator and president of the Foundation of the Center for Infectious Studies (Funcei), regretted not having been able to move forward in private with the Pzifer vaccine supply plan.

A few months ago, a group of Argentinian businessmen led by Stamboulian himself set out to help break through the pandemic by carrying out more vaccinations, tightening of their agendas and contacts with international laboratories to explore the possibility of obtaining batches of vaccines and then distributing them among the various health care providers: social works, hospitals, public and private vaccinations, among others.

“There is one problem that we really regret is that the vaccines that come in can only be bought by the state. We had everything scheduled: we had spoken with Pfizer and they had told us that in July they could probably start selling us to entities like ours.»Said yesterday in the radio show Cara y Cruz, of Once Diez / Radio de la Ciudad.

In this sense, he added: “They told us three months ago, before I don’t know what problem the government had of not being able to complete the purchase of the Pfizer vaccine. We were going to receive it because they told us that after July, they were going to sell it, outside governments, to entities like ours ”.

However, for now, this project is on hold. “I was so sorry because we were very enthusiastic and we have a good concept of PfizerNot from now on, but before, and this vaccine is very good, ”he said.

The corporate vaccine Pfizer (United States) and BioNTech (Germany) it was the first to be approved for use in the United States and Europe. With an efficacy against the coronavirus of 95%, it is the second most used in the world, with a presence in 103 countries.

Likewise, Stamboulian also referred to the other American formula, that of the Moderna laboratory, which, like Pfizer, produces genomic messenger RNA vaccine technology and has been licensed in 49 countries. “WE we’re closely related to Moderna, which is a very similar vaccine to Pfizer’s. It is very attractive and we try to present it to the Annat for approval in Argentina; It will be very useful to bring it ”.

The doctor also didn’t rule out praise for the vaccine. Johnson & Jonhson, of a single dose, which he defines as “a very good vaccine” and specifies: “I think it will be incorporated in large quantities soon for our country. It is very close to being able to do it ”.

In line with Sunday’s statements by Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti, after the tour of Mexico and Cuba, Stamboulian, after having been consulted on the vaccines that are produced on the island, underlined: “They have a good lab and apparently they are creating a platform that can be very interesting“, Although he detailed that” they are still in the early stages. He stressed that “there is still a long way to go because he has to be in phase III, I think it will really take them over a year to say they have the vaccine”.

For the specialist, declared an exceptional personality of science by the Legislative Assembly of the city of Buenos Aires in 2011, in Argentina, it is essential to increase the number of tests, in addition to vaccination. “We need to increase testing because when there is a suspicious person, they can find the contacts and check them so that the virus does not spread. Tests and vaccines are very important, ”he said, arguing that for him quarantine is unnecessary. “I hope we can avoid it. The quarantine brings big financial problems and does not avoid a lot of contact either. We need to increase vaccination, testing and give some freedom so people can continue to work“.

So far in the country, some 9.6 million people have been vaccinated with one dose (or 21.3% of the population) and only 2.8 million have received both formulations (6.23% of the population). population).

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