Guatemala canceled contract to purchase Sputnik V vaccines due to non-compliance with deliveries

The delay in the delivery of the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus is not only an evil affecting Argentina. Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei announced the cancellation of the purchase of eight million doses from Russia for failure to deliver.

Guatemala contributed $ 79.6 million to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for eight million doses of Sputnik V. However, so far he has only received 550,000 doses – in five expeditions – which angered the government in this Central American country.

At a press conference, Giammattei explained that his government renegotiated the contract and that they will no longer buy the additional eight million Russian doses as provided for in the first agreement. In addition, he explained that the negotiate with other laboratories.

The President said the canceled purchase was “50% which was to be spent on Sputnik vaccines. “

“As this commitment (with Russia) was published this year, we will invest this amount in the negotiations which are already underway with other companies,” said the president.

The government questioned

The delay in the delivery of the generated Sputnik V many opinions to the Guatemalan government and inquiries.

Dozens of social, educational and humanitarian organizations defeated Giammattei’s management and even publicly demanded the resignation of the president.

From Russia, it was reported that the contract with Guatemala was to deliver eight million doses and a second part with the same amount of vaccine: 16 million doses of Sputnik V in total.

Beyond the government’s anger, Giammattei assured that the eight million doses already paid will arrive in the rest of the year, according to the new commitment of the Russian government which promised to “accelerate” the deliveries.

Likewise, the Central American President clarified that the government negotiates with American companies Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer for the arrival of new vaccines.

Giammattei also announced that the state of prevention, decreed two weeks ago to stop the advance of the pandemic, and which gave him the power to dissolve the demonstrations that have been carried out against him, has no effect.

Despite the delay in Russian vaccines, Guatemala has already received more than three million doses, including donations from the United States, India, Israel and Mexico; and purchases under the Covax mechanism of the World Health Organization (WHO).

But, at present, its vaccination campaign is stalling and not yet a million people have received both doses.

The Central American country of about 17 million accumulated inhabitants 355,223 infections and 10,174 deaths by the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

With information from AFP

LM