One by one, the Latin American countries that have already purchased vaccines against the coronavirus

The coronavirus violently hits the European winter and does not stop its advance in America and the world is mobilizing to launch a mass vaccination. Britain and the United States are already applying it to the most vulnerable groups. And while in Argentina, the controversy over the purchase of vaccine Sputnik, which manufactures Russia, other countries in the region have already signed contracts with laboratories such as Pfizer, Sinovac or AstraZeneca for the acquisition of millions of doses.

Some countries like Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia or Ecuador have been able to close private agreements with laboratories developing vaccines, others have no choice but to place their hopes on the Covid19 Global Vaccine Access Fund.

Known as COVAX, this plan – promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union, Latin American countries and foundations – aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of vaccines against coronavirus and to “guarantee fair and equitable access to them for all countries of the world”.

In Latin America, virtually all countries are involved in the project described by COVAX, in addition to agreements with private pharmaceutical companies.

Here is a summary of vaccination plans in Latin America:

Brazil

Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello reported on Thursday that the country expects to receive between January and March 93.4 million vaccines against Covid-19, from three pharmaceutical companies with which it has signed agreements: the American Pfizer, the Chinese Sinovac (which has an agreement with the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, for the local manufacture of millions of doses) and with the University of Oxford, which is developing it in collaboration with the AstraZeneca laboratory and which would be approved before the end of the year.

According to Pazuello, the plan calls for the country to have 24.7 million doses available in January (500,000 from Pfizer, 9 million from Sinovac / Butantan and 15 million from Oxford). In February, it will be 500,000 more from Pfizer, 22 million from Sinovac and 15.2 million from Oxford. And by March, he is expected to receive a total of 31 million additional vaccines.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday signed the decree that frees 20 billion reais (about 3.8 billion dollars) for the purchase of vaccines, despite his skepticism and his opposition to compulsory inoculation, despite the fact that justice decided it had to be so.

Chile

This week, Chile approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine and President Sebastián Piñera announced that the first 20,000 doses will arrive in Chile before the end of the year.

The Institute of Public Health (ISP) on Thursday announced the approval of the US vaccine to be applied to people over 16 years of age and that initially, the president said, it will be intended for health workers in the regions of higher impact. contagion.

The government will seek to protect 15 million of the country’s 18 million people.

Piñera said that “in Chile, the vaccine will be voluntary and free for all”.

In September, Chile signed agreements to equip itself with millions of vaccines against the coronavirus, including one with Pfizer-BioNtech for 10 million doses.

Also reserved 14.4 million AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, and came to an agreement with the Chinese laboratory Sinovac to access 20 million dose.

In addition, he has integrated with Covax, which will allow Chile to access eight million additional doses of the vaccine he prefers and which has WHO validation.

Mexico

Mexico was the first country in Latin America to present a detailed vaccination plan, although so far it only provides for the use of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, that the Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris) authorized on December 11.

According to Mexican Under-Secretary of Health Hugo López-Gatell, the doses to immunize the first 125,000 people will arrive “in the third week of December”. This would allow the first vaccination operation between January and February 2021.

Colombia

Colombian President Iván Duque confirmed this Saturday the acquisition of 40 million doses vaccines against Covid-19, through direct purchase from two pharmaceutical companies and through the Covax platform. And he announced that the vaccination would start in “the first weeks of the year 2021”.

“The agreement with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer for the acquisition of 10 million doses has been concluded; the agreement with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for the acquisition of 10 million doses was also concluded; and we have also concluded our agreement, via the Covax platform, to acquire 20 million doses, ”declared the president.

Ecuador

Health Minister Juan Carlos Zevallos reported this week that the National Agency for Health Regulation, Control and Surveillance (Arcsa) had approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine in the country. And he noted that the vaccination plan will begin in January.

Ecuador expects to receive the first 50,000 doses of the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine, out of a total of two million previously agreed. But he did not say whether contracts had been signed with other pharmaceutical companies.

Panama and Costa Rica have also signed agreements with Pfizer.

Source: agencies