Paraguay denounces Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm canceled delivery of 750,000 COVID-19 vaccines for geopolitical reasons

The Paraguayan Ministry of Public Health said on Saturday that the company G42, a subsidiary of Chinese Sinopharm in the United Arab Emirates, unilaterally terminated a contract for the supply of the Hayat Vax vaccine against COVID-19 to the country.

The contract provided for the purchase of one million doses for a total of $ 30 millionsaid a statement from the Ministry of Health. Paraguay received 250,000 doses of vaccine at the end of May for which it paid $ 7.5 million and the company reimbursed it on Friday $ 5.6 million it had paid for one of the four installments agreed to cover the remaining balance, added the note.

The statement said the company “made use of the right to terminate the unilateral contract, without explanation, in accordance with negotiation clauses established in the purchase process”, but Health Minister Julio Borba told local television the reasons were “strictly geopolitical”.

Paraguay has not had diplomatic relations with China since It is the only nation in South America with ties to Taiwan, considered a rebellious province by the Asian giant.

The country has struggled to access vaccines and its immunization program gained momentum last month with the donation of two million doses of Pfizer vaccine from the United States. The United States recently highlighted Paraguay’s relationship with Taiwan as an example to the world.

The Ministry of Health, however, assured that the second doses for people who have already received the Hayat Vax vaccine were provided.

Paraguay has accumulated 451,695 infections and 14,876 deaths from COVID-19 since March 2020, when the first case was detected.

Paraguay’s Expanded Program on Immunization (PAI) director Héctor Castro said on Friday that the priority will now be the application of second doses of covid-19 vaccines in the country, where more than two million people already benefit from the first part of the system. Castro insisted on the importance of completing the schedule, since vaccination shows a decrease in “severe forms of hospitalization and death”, whatever the variant contracted.

From Monday, August 2, the second doses of people who have received the Pfizer vaccine will begin in mid-July, as essential workers. Castro insisted on the importance of respecting the 21-day interval, in the case of this platform, and not allowing too much time to elapse in the event that it would be impossible for the person to comply with it on the 21.

In the coming days, the Ministry of Health will also report on the timetable for the application of the second doses of AstraZeneca, which he hopes will receive a donation from Spain of more than 250,000 vaccines.

Castro admitted that currently “there are few doses left and it is not wise to continue on weekends” with the AstraZeneca vaccination. However, he maintained that “there is a guarantee to cover absolutely everyone who has received AstraZeneca”.

“There are a lot of people who are waiting for their second doses, for all, the message from the Ministry of Health is that their second doses are guaranteed,” he added.

In addition, The expedition with the second component of Sputnik V is expected to arrive on August 18, the delay of which was beginning to alert authorities and citizens. Castro insisted that “component 2 will be available in due course”, although “other options are under consideration”, alluding to interchangeability with other platforms.

Likewise, Castro was already talking about “a ‘booster’ or a strengthening dose” of the vaccine against the coronavirus for the next year, showing “the same behavior as the other respiratory viruses”. The Ministry already has this reinforcement in its purchases and its planning for next year.

The country’s initial goal is to vaccinate about 4.3 million of the nearly 7 million that make up its population. Figures from Our World in Data, updated on July 25, show that 25.76% of the population already have at least one dose, while 4.02% already have the full regimen.

With information from EFE and Reuters

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