Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, at the beginning of 2020, the national government has been questioned about the handling of the pandemic. Except for the early implementation of a strict quarantine, which was widely supported by the population, the management of the crisis and most of the measures implemented were the center of criticism. Some, such as the “VIP” vaccination or the party at Quinta de Olivos, due to the discretion of power. Others, by controversial decisions.
A clear example is what happened with vaccines. From the beginning, the president Alberto Fernandez ideology prioritized the health issue.
After having participated in the largest worldwide test carried out by the American laboratory Pfizer and to have the possibility of being on the front line to receive more than ten million doses from the end of 2020, Argentina decided to block his arrival with a series of arguments that were already unusual, at that time, and today seem part of a comedy of intrigues.
For reasons not explained with transparency, the official decision was to privilege the Russian vaccine Sputnik V and, in the background, the Chinese Sinopharm. It must not be forgotten that while Pfizer supplied dozens of countries with its product, the minister Carla Vizzotti She spent almost a week in Cuba interested in the “advance” of the “Sovereign” vaccine.
Pfizer it became a symbol of the struggle against US imperialism, according to the position expressed by many officials. To a lesser extent, the product of the laboratory Modern also fell under that initial ban.
The production agreement in the country of the vaccine AstraZeneca, under a cloak of suspicion due to the economic interests at stake, served to add a third alternative in the health offer and hide the ideological rigidity.
What became clear is that the arrival of US vaccines was discouraged as far as it could go. That strategy worked until the problems started and the deaths were piling up.
Russia could not guarantee the arrival of the second component of Sputnik, China cut off Sinopharm’s supply because it needed to favor its own consumption, and AstraZeneca’s local production was limited by packaging problems in Mexico.
It was there that the National Government had to put ideology aside and surrender to the proven vaccines, of greater effectiveness and with normalized supply. Although they tried to hide it with forced dialectical turns, the reality showed that the purchase of those vaccines was an ideological defeat for Alberto Fernández.
Current statistics not only confirm it but also increase it. In recent months, most of the vaccines that are being applied are those of the American laboratories, within the purchase agreements for more than 40 million doses signed by the end of 2021, plus 18 million from Pfizer from a new agreement.
A district that can be taken as a witness case and that has updated figures is that of the Buenos aires city.
So far this year, about 650,000 doses have been applied and 40% were from Pfizer. The second most applied vaccine corresponds to Moderna, with 23%. That is, between the two laboratories, concentrate 63% of the doses. Six out of 10 porteños received these vaccines.
AstraZeneca covered 22% of the applications, while Sinopharm – used largely in children – accounted for 11%.
Only 2% of the vaccines that were applied in 2022, in CABA, were Sputnik V, the same percentage of the little-known Cansino.
In other districts it may vary, but what is clear is that the greatest availability of vaccines today corresponds to those of Pfizer or Moderna.
There is no official information on new purchases of Sputnik V or the volumes of supply of what is produced locally. It is only known that they are being used as reinforcement and not to initiate new vaccination schemes.
There are also no new deals for Sinopharm. At least, from the National Government they are not being promoted as they were a year ago.
Pfizer has also just been licensed for children and will soon be Moderna, which will increase in use. This shows that the fight against the coronavirus, in Argentina, is being carried out with these two vaccines that, until recently, were despised. Something unthinkable a year ago
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