Spain has donated 750,000 doses of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Latin America: which countries will receive them

Spain started on Monday Vaccine donation process in five Latin American countries with 750,000 AstraZeneca via the Covax mechanism, the first of 7.5 million announced for this region, out of a total of 22.5 million doses to be delivered to the global mechanism promoted by the UN.

Following the agreement between AstraZeneca, Covax and Spain, the first recipient countries that will receive shipments in the coming days are: Paraguay, where 252,000 doses will be distributed; Guatemala, 201,600; Ecuador Yes Peru, 101,760 respectively; Yes Nicaragua: 97,920, the Spanish Ministry of Health reported on Monday in a press release.

The distribution was designed according to the epidemiological needs of the various countries in the region and the coordination of the actions of the various actors involved by Covax. The distribution will be gradual, as Spain makes the vaccines available to the mechanism..

This is to comply with the Commitment announced by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, to provide 7.5 million vaccines to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, which will be distributed through Covax, a mechanism coordinated by the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), the Coalition for Innovation in Outbreak Preparedness (Cepi) and WHO, with logistical support from UNICEF and of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Spain is coordinating the vaccine donation with the EU and its member states, which have so far provided Covax with € 2.47 billion. The objective of this mechanism is to immunize at least 20% of the population of the 190 nations that make it up before the end of the year.

In addition, Spain is currently processing contributions to the Accelerator of Access to Tools Against Covid-19 (ACT-A) amounting to € 125 million, to which will be added an additional contribution of € 50 million. euros to Covax via the Vaccine Alliance.

All of this is recorded as part of the ‘Universal Access Plan: Sharing Covid-19 Vaccines. Solidarity vaccination ”, approved by the Spanish executive last January, and which defines the donation strategy. The main objective of this plan is to help guarantee equitable, affordable and universal access to the vaccine as a global public good, in order to respond to the call for solidarity of Spanish society.

(With information from EFE)

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