Chile announced it will start applying Pfizer vaccine this week

The Institute of Public Health of Chile authorized the use of the Pfizer vaccine in that country and the coronavirus vaccination campaign is expected to start this week.

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera said that “we will start with the people who have been on the front lines, in critical units, caring for critical patients”.

The Trans-Andean government approved the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday and is awaiting the arrival of a first shipment of 20,000 doses to start the inoculation process at a time when the number of infections in the country increased by 22% last week.

Initially, 9,875 people will be vaccinated. The immunizer requires the application of two doses, said the Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, in an interview published by the newspaper The third.

The plan envisages inoculating in the first quarter of 2021 5 million people among the population most at risk: chronically ill, elderly and health workers.

By the first half of next year, it is expected to have vaccinated 15 of the country’s more than 18 million people, Piñera said.

“Vaccination is not just to protect usIt is an act of solidarity, because we protect everyone, ”he declared.

Chile signed agreements with Pfizer / BioNTech in September to get 10 million doses. On Wednesday, he struck another deal with Chinese biopharmaceutical Sinovac to obtain 10 million additional vaccines, reported Minister Paris.

Paris added that Chile has $ 200 million budget to buy vaccines and that he prepare to start conversations with the Chinese laboratory CanSino to provide him with vaccines as well.

Chile records 585,545 cases and 16,154 deaths since confirming the first case on March 3, according to the latest official report.

In the past three days, the number of infections has exceeded 2,000, raising concern among health authorities. Since August, Chile has managed to stabilize new cases between 1,000 and 1,500 per day.

Source: agencies.

AFG