Controversy in Bolivia because Evo Morales’ daughter was vaccinated early

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The vaccination against covid-19 of the daughter of former president Evo Morales, Evaliz Morales Alvarado, outside the schedule established by the Bolivian Executive generated controversy and criticism, in addition to a governmental announcement of an investigation.

The verification companies Chequea Bolivia and Bolivia Verifica corroborated the veracity of a vaccination certificate of Evaliz Morales that was disseminated in social networks and which indicates that the 26-year-old was immunized in a clinic of the Caja Bancaria Estatal de Salud.

The companies scanned the QR code on the certificate to verify that Morales Alvarado’s vaccination record does appear in the National Health Information System.

The young woman received the first dose of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V on May 24, the same day as President Luis Arce, although in a different health center.

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A lawyer by profession, last January it became known that Morales Alvarado was hired at the State Attorney General’s Office, an institution under the command of Evo Morales’ former defense attorney, Wilfredo Chávez.

When Morales’ daughter was vaccinated, the governmental immunization plan reached people over 50 years old and journalists after having previously vaccinated front-line health personnel and people with basic diseases.

The Vice Minister of Promotion, Epidemiological Surveillance and Traditional Medicine, María Renee Castro, did not want to say “if it is real or not” the record corroborated by the verifiers alleging that the “confidentiality” of each person is maintained, but assured that the Short-Term Social Security Oversight Authority is investigating the matter.

“We absolutely take all citizens in the same way,” Castro declared in a press conference.

The authority indicated that the social security funds must comply with the “chronogram” and the vaccination plan established by the Government and that “if they fail to do so, logically the authority in charge of social security has all the attribution to sanction”.

PARLIAMENTARY CRITICISMS

The head of the Senate bench of the ruling party, Luis Adolfo Flores, told the media that if there were violations in the case of Morales Alvarado, “the actors of vaccination” are the ones who must say what procedures or sanctions should be followed.

For Flores, sanctions should be “for those who vaccinate”, since they are “the ones responsible and have specific instructions” from the health authorities.

In a video on Facebook, Congresswoman Luisa Nayar of the opposition Comunidad Ciudadana described as “outrageous” that Morales Alvarado has been vaccinated early “for the simple fact” of being the daughter of the former president. At the same time, the elderly and other people must wait in long lines to access the doses.

“I am the same age as Miss Evaliz, and I have not been using my position to be able to benefit from the vaccine. However, we have to be respectful, we have to privilege those who correspond according to the vaccination plan”, said the legislator, who also recalled that a few days ago, it was known that Morales Alvarado’s mother has a diplomatic position.

Last March, the Government initiated investigations for alleged irregular vaccinations against covid-19 in four of the nine regions to people who were not yet due to be immunized.

The authorities then announced proceedings against the person in charge of those vaccinations and against those who benefited from the drugs before their due date.

So far in Bolivia, 524,899 people have been immunized with the two required doses, while 1,544,730 received the first dose.