Paraguay delivered only 14% of vaccine doses purchased by its government
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Of the 11,279,800 anti-Covid vaccines negotiated by the Paraguayan government since October last year, only 1,614,390 doses have been delivered, representing 14% of purchases made to advance the national vaccination plan against Covid-19.
While President Mario Abdo Benítez continues to “coordinate” with Ministry of Public Health (MSPBS) officials the delivery of vaccines that never come, vaccination in Paraguay is performed almost exclusively through donations.
To date, 3,106,440 doses have been received and additional donations have been promised.
The limited stock of vaccines is the reason why some 350,000 people registered have not yet been vaccinated against the virus which has killed a little over 16,000 people in the country.
The trust still placed in the Covax mechanism (first contract signed by the government in October 2020) continues to be Public Health’s greatest mistake. The last batch received through this system landed on June 3; however, the delivery of at least 4,000,000 doses is still pending.
Likewise, the agreement signed with Bharat Biotech, which promised 2,000,000 vaccines, is still a big unknown since to date not a single dose has been delivered by the Indian laboratory.
“Covax is going to send vaccines before the end of the month,” assured Health Minister Dr. Julio Borba. However, he was unable to specify a date or the amount to be delivered.
This statement is not the first given by the health authority, since for months the failed PAHO/WHO system has been promising to send additional doses, only to ultimately forget its commitment to the country.
THEY “COORDINATE” VACCINES THAT NEVER COME
Yesterday, President Mario Abdo Benítez posted on his social networks that he was meeting with the Public Health team “coordinating actions for the delivery of more vaccines.”
However, in addition to the 300,000 doses promised by Spain – once again as a donation – there are no reports of another important shipment that could give continuity to the vaccination plan on a massive scale. To date, vaccines have only reached approximately 2,300,000 people, who have been administered at least one dose.
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— For the complete picture, read our in-depth guide: Paraguay: Washington's Most Valued Ally in Latin America
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