[ad_1]
Shortly after starting to loosen one of the longest and strictest closures in the world, President Alberto Fernández promised in December that 10 million Argentines would be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of February.
Months later, that promise has yet to be fulfilled. Only 9 million of Argentina’s 45 million people have received a dose, of which about 2.5 million have received a second. Critics say a faster deployment of vaccines could have helped avert one of the world’s highest daily mortality rates, as a second wave begins.
Now Argentina is once again closed to combat a sharp rise in cases, which have reached new highs as it heads into winter and more contagious variants from Brazil and the United Kingdom are spreading.
The new blockade has put pressure on public finances stretching to the limit, threatening it spread a recession which has been dragging on for three years.
It has also aggravated an already poisonous political environment, as recriminations exceed the missed vaccination period.
On Monday, Fernandez sued Patricia Bullrich, the main opposition politician, for defamation after hinting that the government had asked for bribes from Pfizer, the U.S. vaccine maker, in exchange for access to the Argentine market.
“President, you can accuse me as many times as you want, but the vaccines have not yet arrived and you have not yet clarified what happened to Pfizer,” he tweeted to Bullrich.
Bullrich has demanded that Fernandez explain why a contract that was discussed last year with Pfizer was never signed for more than 13 million vaccines that would have started arriving in December and would “save thousands of lives.” Argentina was given priority status after conducting major clinical trials for Pfizer last year.
The company said in a statement this week: “Pfizer has not received any requests for undue payments… In addition, the company does not use intermediaries, private distributors or representatives for the supply of the Covid-19 vaccine.”
Not only has an agreement been reached with Pfizer, but a joint venture with Mexico to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine locally had delays caused by road shortages and the first batch arrived just this week. Russia has also not delivered the Sputnik vaccine on time.
Still, the Russian vaccine accounts for half of the 15 million stings delivered in Argentina so far, with most of the rest, about 4 million, from China’s Sinopharm. This has led to accusations from the opposition that the acquisition of vaccines by the left-wing government of Fernández is motivated by ideological and geopolitical concerns, as Argentina is prosecuting Moscow and Beijing.
Although Argentina is better than many of the region’s neighbors for vaccines, the problem is the government’s “triumphalism,” which raised expectations too high, according to Adolfo Rubinstein, an epidemiologist who was health minister. the previous government which was now in opposition.
“They raised the vaccine program to epic proportions. Not only did they not hand over, but corruption scandals have eroded society’s trust and angered many people, ”he said. Minister of Health of Argentina he was fired in February after it was revealed he had personally helped organize Covid-19 vaccines for VIPs with government connections.
“Unfortunately, the treatment of the pandemic has been the victim of political division. . . producing a sterile confrontation that must be scaled down, ”Rubinstein said. “But the government has to move first.”
This toxic atmosphere has complicated the government’s efforts to convince citizens to stay home during the current closure. This is especially special amid criticism of unequal treatment; the government’s decision to hold the Copa America regional football tournament in Argentina from next month sparked outrage.
Hugo Pizzi, a specialist in infectious diseases at the University of Córdoba, says that there are only two ways to control the pandemic: “You can only get out of such a tragic situation with discipline [in obeying rules aimed at preventing the spread of the virus] and vaccines. ”For now, the rapid arrival of vaccines in Argentina could be the most promising exit, he opines, given the low adherence to blockade rules.
“That [southern hemisphere] the winter will be harsh. I hope that [lockdown] the measures are accepted by society and that vaccines continue to arrive, “said Javier Farina, an infectious disease specialist who advises the government, which hopes that half of Argentines will receive their first blow in August, compared to a fifth now.
Although the current blocking measures “should continue longer if they are only focused on health issues, if everything else is taken into account, economy it has a lot of weight. The final decision of the authorities will take this into account, “he said.
Rubinstein argues that one of the biggest barriers to Argentina’s success in controlling the pandemic is the fact that “Argentines are different, the less they respect the rules.”
Although they initially adhered to the restrictions and Fernandez’s popularity increased, after the first two months of last year’s eight-month closing, his enthusiasm for Fernandez (and following the rules) quickly waned.
Blockade fatigue was complicated by confusing signals from the government and Argentina’s large informal economy, which meant many were forced to look for work abroad to pay their bills.
The Argentine demography has aggravated the situation even more, with a population older than the countries of North Latin America and therefore more vulnerable to disease. New, more contagious variants, especially from Brazil and the United Kingdom, have fueled the latest rise in coronavirus cases.
Despite the alarming situation, Pizzi argues that Argentina is not significantly worse than many of its neighbors in a region that is one of the most affected in the world. In Paraguay, people donated chairs so that people could wait in relative comfort in the hospital courtyards, he said, while in countries such as Ecuador and Peru “corpses piled up on the streets” last year. . “It’s never been so bad here.”
[ad_2]
Source link
