Argentines are outraged by the closure of the new vaccine after a mistake

He has just begun to release one of the longest and most challenging in the world, the President Alberto Fernandez promised in December that 10m of Argentina would receive the Covid-19 vaccine at the end of February.

A few months later, that promise has not been fulfilled. Only 9m of Argentina’s 45m received one level, of which about 2.5m received second. Critics say the immediate spread of the vaccine would have contributed to the world’s greatest threat, as the second wave begins.

Now Argentina is once again fighting to tackle the rising tide of controversy, which has been growing sharply since the onset of winter and other forms of transmission from Brazil and the UK are spreading.

These new closures have led to widespread economic hardships, and threats add to the economic downturn which has been pulling for three years.

It has also exacerbated politics that are already toxic, as ridicule goes beyond the last vaccination period.

On Monday, Fernández filed a lawsuit against Patricia Bullrich, an opposition politician, alleging that the government was bribing Pfizer, a US vaccine manufacturer, to gain access to the Argentine market.

“President, you can accuse me as many times as you want, but the vaccine has not arrived and you have not yet explained what happened to Pfizer,” Bullrich said in a statement.

Bullrich has asked Fernández to explain why the agreement reached last year was not signed by Pfizer over the 13m vaccine that was due to arrive in December and “saved thousands of lives”. Argentina took the lead after conducting key Pfizer tests last year.

The company said this week: “Pfizer has not received any requests for unfair compensation… In addition, the company does not use intermediaries, distributors or agents to provide Covid-19 vaccines.”

Not only does it have an agreement with Pfizer that can be achieved, but an agreement with Mexico to develop a local AstraZeneca vaccine has been delayed due to a shortage of bottles and the first phase came this week alone. Russia has also failed to provide its Sputnik vaccine in a timely manner.

However, the Russian vaccine takes half of the 15m jabs delivered to Argentina so far, with the rest, 4m, from China’s Sinopharm. This has led to allegations that the vaccine to buy Fernandez’s left-wing government was motivated by political ideologies, such as the Argentine courts Moscow and Beijing.

Although Argentina is doing better than its neighbors in the fight against vaccines, the problem is the government’s “victory”, which raised high hopes, according to Adolfo Rubinstein, a veterinarian who was a health minister in the previous state. now he protests.

“They have expanded the vaccine program on a large scale. Not only giving, but bribery has taken away public trust and angered many, ”he said. Argentina’s Minister of Health He was fired in February after it was revealed that he had helped prepare the Covid-19 vaccine for government-connected VIPs.

“Unfortunately the management of the epidemic has brought with it political tensions. . . creating a barren struggle that must escalate, “says Rubinstein.” But the government must move first. “

The killings have disrupted government efforts to force citizens to stay home during this time. This is especially so when criticizing people equally; The government’s idea of ​​having a Copa America tournament in Argentina since next month has angered.

Hugo Pizzi, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Cordoba, says there are only two ways to deal with the epidemic: “You can get out of this dangerous situation with punishment. [in obeying rules aimed at preventing the spread of the virus] and vaccines. In the meantime, the immediate arrival of vaccines in Argentina could be the best way to release, he thinks, in compliance with the rules.

“These [southern hemisphere] the winter will be difficult. I hope so [lockdown] The public acceptance of the vaccine is that the vaccine is still going strong, “said Javier Farina, an infectious disease specialist advising the government, which expects half of Argentines to receive their first jab by August, from Friday.

While the preventive measures that work “should continue for a long time if you just look at hygiene, if you can think of anything else,” metal they carry a lot of weight. The final decision of the officials will recall this, “he said.

Rubinstein argues that one of the obstacles to Argentina’s success in controlling the epidemic is that “Argentines are different, they do not respect the law”.

Although initially following the restrictions and Fernandez’s popularity grew, the first few months of the last eight months last year closed their interest in Fernández – and following the rules – faded.

Lockdown’s exhaustion was exacerbated by the crisis in Argentina’s powerful governments and economic power, which meant that many were forced to seek employment abroad to pay off their debts.

The population of Argentina has exacerbated the problem, with people older than the countries of northern Latin America, and at higher risk of contracting the disease. New strains of the virus, particularly from Brazil and the UK, have contributed to the recent rise in coronavirus cases.

Despite the dangers, Pizzi says Argentina is no worse than most of its neighbors in the region, which is one of the worst in the world. In Paraguay, people were handing out chairs so that people could wait in line at the hospital, he said, while in countries like Ecuador and Peru “corpses littered the streets” last year. “There has never been such a bad thing here.”