Concern over Delta variant: government evaluating change in vaccination strategy and speeding up application of second doses in over 60s

The Delta variant. This is the main concern that afflicts national government for those hours. Appeared in India, the new strain which generates a strong epidemiological impact in United Kingdom, Russia and United States, This caused a change in the sanitary projection of the Casa Rosada. The pandemic is not yet over, despite the advances in the vaccination plan that Alberto Fernández’s management was able to show last month and the optimistic discourse of the ruling party on the early arrival of the new normal.

In the last decree of necessity and emergency (DNU), the president decided to add restrictions on border control and restriction of passenger entry into the country. El cupo, which estaba in 2000 personas por día, was reduced to 600. Además, estipuló que quienes regresen del exterior entre el 1 de julio y el 31 de agosto, van a estar obligados a aislarse en los lugares que determinen los gobiernos locales durante 10 days.

The new measures have an epidemiological explanation. The Delta variant is super contagious and could generate a third wave of cases during the winter. The ruling party is very concerned about the possibility that the new strain breaking down national health barriers, generate a surge in the number of infections and begin to have community circulation of the virus in the country.

Faced with this potential scenario The Ministry of Health has started to explore the possibility of prioritizing the closure of the vaccination program for people over 60 years old. The objective is concrete: to increase vaccination in one of the groups most at risk.

They assess by granting the period of three months, established by the health authorities between the first and the second dose, exclusively in this age group. This is the inoculation of around 4,000,000 people which would be a priority.

The discussion is open within the portfolio headed by Minister Carla Vizzotti because the will of the Government is to continue to favor the greatest number of first doses applied. That way, they understand, they would reduce the circulation of the virus and in quantitative terms, they would get more people vaccinated. So much so that they would not be inclined to rush the second doses of the over 60s, while they chain the first doses in the rest of the population. Other at-risk groups should wait.

In Argentina, there are approximately 7,500,000 people over the age of 60. According to the Public Vaccination Monitor, 7,845,916 have been vaccinated to date. That is, most of the second doses are missing. With vaccines in the country, the vaccination rate has increased. As reported by Casa Rosada, between May 18 and June 18, 7,643,753 doses were applied, with a daily average of 239,575 inoculations, while during this period 7,979,000 vaccines arrived in Argentina.

In the ruling party, they maintain that at a minimum, they will maintain an average of 8,000,000 doses per month. Maybe they can increase it. With the conclusion of the new contract with Sinopharm for 24 million doses for the next three months, it would again take operational capacity to make a new leap in the number of vaccinated. A new logistical challenge is emerging.

It’s a race against time. Vaccinate, contain the main variant, avoid furious regrowth that generates a third wave and evaluate, over the days, the possibility of applying new restrictive and intermittent measures.

The government assumes that the Delta variant will sooner or later enter the country. What they need to do is delay this entry as long as possible. The maximum objective would be to block it during the winter and to advance the vaccination in the next two months. To delay it, the key is through two measures: strict controls at the entrance to the country and effective compliance with the mandatory quarantine for people returning to Argentina.

It is in the latter case that the greatest official concern lies. According to data reported by the National Directorate of Migration, headed by Florencia Carignano, In the last 15 days, 4 in 10 people who returned to the country from abroad did not comply with the mandatory quarantine at their home. The problem, to a large extent, is individual responsibility.

Argentines who return to Argentina must undergo three tests. One PCR before boarding the plane, one antigen upon arrival in the country and another PCR on the seventh day, when isolation is complete. In government, they understand that many people negative on the first two tests assume they are free from the virus and are breaking the rules. And the symptoms of a possible contagion can be recorded in the quarantine time. Hence the importance of isolation.

At the moment there was only 3 cases of the variable Delta that were detected among passengers entering the country through Ezeiza airport. In this context, the Ministry of Health has urged officials in all provinces that Increase and deepen checks on people who must respect isolation a week after their arrival in the country.

The increase in cases with the Delta strain changed the perspective of the health scenario that the government had. If the virus infiltrated in the middle of winter, the epidemic of cases would be very difficult to control. The authorities know that the main entrance gate is Ezeiza. This is why the borders continue to be closed to tourism and anyone who is not Argentinian and wants to enter the country for the purpose of tourism will not be able to do so. In addition, during the last DNU, flights from the UK, Northern Ireland, Chile, Brazil, India, Turkey and African countries continue to be suspended.

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