The weekend will begin the delivery of COVAX vaccines

As the delay in the production of vaccines impacts the world and in Argentina, the doses are received with droppers, it is expected that in the next few days they will start to arrive. the vaccines promised from the COVAX fund. As they planned Bugle of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the first games will be available this weekend.

COVAX is an international mechanism promoted by the World Health Organization and other organizations through which it seeks to ensure the supply of vaccines for all countries, even those that have less negotiating power with large laboratories. Countries can buy doses for up to 20% of their population. Although Argentina has set aside a reserve of 9 million doses, as indicated in January by the Ministry of Health, it will in principle receive, by May, 1.9 million doses.

So far, COVAX has delivered just over 2.2 million doses in Latin America. The country that received the most is Brazil, with a million. Colombia received 350,000, Bolivia nearly 230,000, Peru 117,000 and Paraguay 36,000. There are still no details on the number of units of this 1.9 million that will come to the country. first installment, but as this journal may have known, it would be a significant amount in the regional context, but not as important as in Brazil since the doses are attributed as a percentage to the population. Some reports mention more than 200,000 doses.

COVAX deliveries to Latin America are coordinated by PAHO. Most of the vaccines currently distributed, and all of those that will arrive in Argentina, come from AstraZeneca and are produced at a plant of the British company in South Korea. From there they will travel by plane to Amsterdam, from where the distribution is carried out to the countries.

“The manufacturer leaves the doses at the airport in the Netherlands and PAHO coordinates the supplier who delivers them to each country. In the case of Argentina, in this first allocation cycle, the country has chosen to do the purchasing process directly with the supplier. That is to say, in this case, acquire and withdraw directly vaccines assigned by COVAX, ”PAHO explained.

The lots will be in the Netherlands this weekend. But there are still no details on how the operation will be implemented to go and get them. Official sources told this newspaper that there is no official delivery schedule and that await shipping confirmation in the coming days. The most likely thing is that when that happens, they will go and get them with an Aerolineas Argentinas flight, as happened with the doses that were brought so far from Sputnik V and most of those from Sinopharm.

Deliveries will be staggered until May. “Supply is limited and dates are confirmed as they are informed by the producer and logistics companies. It is an operation that requires a lot of effort and coordinationThey remarked from PAHO. According to information published on its website, 13 countries in the region have received vaccines to date, the majority from AstraZeneca. Only four (Colombia, Peru, El Salvador and Bolivia) have received items from Pfizer, in an initiative called “first wave,” to deliver vaccines to the backward states. “There may be other assignments during the year from this lab to other countries,” they told PAHO.

In addition to the AstraZeneca vaccines made in South Korea which will arrive via COVAX, it is expected that from mid-April, the same development produced in Argentina in the mAbxience laboratory and packaged in the northern hemisphere will also be available. Our country has signed a contract to receive 22 million doses, which will also arrive in stages. The expected fluid flow of these vaccines fuels presidential optimism vaccinate the population at risk by the end of April, as Alberto Fernández promised this week.

The bottom line, while a change in vaccination strategy is debated, is that the doses of AstraZeneca can allow both vaccination with a first dose and postpone (as the UK does) or give the two doses of the full regimen also to these. who have already received Covishield made in India or who are receiving those produced in Korea, because this vaccine has two equal components has the same formulation regardless of the plant in which the production was carried out.

AS