Government expects more vaccines and ratifies “federal approach” to distribution – Telam

After having exceeded the first million vaccinated, the national government continues the dose distribution operation with a “federal approach” pending further shipments of Sputnik V for the next few weeks, uninterrupted advance in negotiations with China for more from Sinopharm and awaits those from AstraZeneca which are packaged in Mexico.

In this sense, during a ceremony held Friday in the city of Ituzaing, President Alberto Fernández explained that Argentina “bought vaccines where there were vaccines”, asked those who challenged the agreements with Moscow for Sputnik V on the basis of “ideological” reasons and said that it was done “what is convenient for the people” and in the exercise of the “sovereign” (for the simultaneous purchase of different international laboratories).

In addition, the president assured that in the times to come “it is necessary to vaccinate more” and “at a higher rate”, definitions which are related to the negotiations in progress so that more doses arrive in the rest of March.

On this point, however, at Casa Rosada, they prefer not to put forward any amounts or dates.

In any case, the executive is awaiting the gradual normalization of Sputnik V deliveries, the arrival of the first AstraZeneca from Mexico and above all they are betting on “very advanced steps” to receive “more Sinopharm vaccines in the short term” . official sources.

“Vaccines are expected to continue to arrive from both,” they told Tlam after a specific consultation on China’s Sinopharm vaccine and Russian Sputnik V vaccine.

On the other hand, with regard to the joint development of the University of Oxford and the company AstraZeneca, the government expects the arrival of a first batch in the coming weeks.

The private laboratories mAbxience, from Argentina, and Liomont, from Mexico, are participating in this project, with the aim of producing vaccines against the coronavirus for all of Latin America, except Brazil.

At Casa Rosada, they hope that a first batch of vaccines from this origin will arrive in Ezeiza “towards the end of March, but more likely at the beginning of April”.

As soon as the first shipment arrives, they estimate, the country could expect monthly deliveries of between 2 and 4 million AstraZeneca vaccines.

Meanwhile, one year after the appearance of the first positive case of Covid-19 in Argentina, the distribution of doses to the provinces is supported according to the “ federal ” criterion (based on the total population of each jurisdiction) and as the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (Anmat) “releases” the batches.

Faced with requests from the city of Buenos Aires to change the number of vaccines allocated to each jurisdiction, Casa Rosada insisted that it continue to use the same principle used for the distribution of respirators.

On this subject, the Ministry of Health published this Saturday a declaration signed by Minister Carla Vizzotti and the ministers of the 24 jurisdictions in which they underlined the “united” and “consensual” nature of the vaccination work which is carried out to make in the face of the pandemic. .

“All jurisdictions unite to overcome the obstacles that emerge: the main one is the difficulty of access to vaccines in the world, due to the simultaneous high demand,” the ministers said in the document, before adding: “This leads to this when some areas are prioritized, others are postponed until the next shipment arrives. “

“While it is impossible to reach absolute consensus, it is possible to differentiate reasonable questions from malicious criticism,” they stressed in the statement signed by Vizzotti and health officials in all jurisdictions, including the Minister of Health of the porterage, Fernn Quirs.

Last Wednesday, Quirs called for vaccines to be distributed based on the number of older adults and health workers in each jurisdiction – two population groups with the largest presence in CABA – while the Nation ratified that distribution will continue. to be proportional to the number of the total population of each province.

The question will surely reach the table of the Federal Health Council (Cofesa), which is due to meet on Friday, March 12.

Quirs’ position has been contested in recent days by various leaders of the Todos Front, such as Buenos Aires lawmaker Paula Penacca; the chief of staff of the province of Buenos Aires, Carlos Bianco, and the vice-minister of health of Buenos Aires, Nicols Kreplak.

On the other hand, during his presence in Ituzaing on Friday, Fernández celebrated having passed one million vaccinated but also criticized the vaccination campaign of the government of Buenos Aires.

After stressing that the PAMI vaccination campaign had been opened “so that the whole community is vaccinated”, the President opposed this initiative “to other places, where vaccines were given to social works so that they could not be applied only to their affiliates ”.

In the statement from Vizzotti and all the ministers of health, it was noted that “the health authorities” of the 24 jurisdictions, as well as the national government, are “more united than ever” and that the objective is “to s ‘build on what has already been built, with an emphasis on correcting everything that is necessary, to improve access to vaccines and thus reduce the impact on mortality of a possible second wave ”.

The priority given to advancing vaccination is reflected in the Public Vaccination Monitor, which showed as of the end of Friday a total of 1,472,510 requests distributed nationwide, of which 1,133,362 people have been vaccinated with a single dose and 339 148 with both.

On the other hand, with regard to the transit of vaccines from their arrival at Ezeiza airport until their application, although they are trying to reduce delays, the executive informed that it is necessary between 5 and 7 days to receive the shipments. ready, they are sent to the provinces.

As soon as a plane touches the runway of the airport, Andreani and the Argentina Mail intervene – for the refrigerated transport – but also the Ministry of Health and Anmat, who are in charge of evaluating the departure, the entry into the system and distribution of dosages. for each jurisdiction.

When this circuit is completed, the “release” of the cargo for the journey to the provinces, which receive them and which have their own control and enforcement mechanism, is specified.

As an example, on Friday 2.3 million of the more than 4 million doses received had been shipped, but on Friday Vizzotti announced the incorporation of an additional batch of 406,800 Sinopharm vaccines which were sent to all provinces.

Sinopharm vaccines will be used to immunize teachers, health workers and people aged 18 to 59 with risky diseases.

The delivery of vaccines to the various jurisdictions was again expanded this Saturday morning with a new delivery reported by Vizzotti: in this case there were 395,850 doses of Sputnik V directed to all provinces and CABA.

Finally, with regard to Covax (the Global Vaccine Access Fund of which the World Health Organization is a part), Argentina will represent nearly 2 million doses.

However, Casa Rosada is still awaiting the signing of the contract which formalizes the delivery schedule.

At the same time, last Monday, Colombia became the first Latin American country to receive the first batch of vaccines from the Covax mechanism: this is news that could anticipate, in the short term, positive developments for Argentina. .