Venezuela remains indebted to PAHO’s revolving fund for vaccines

–

The Venezuelan government maintains the debt with the revolving fund of vaccines against covid-19 of the Pan American Health Organization, its deputy director Jarbas Barbosa reported on Wednesday. He added that there are negotiations that are advancing so that the Venezuelan authorities can cancel the amount that is owed.

“Venezuela’s debt to the Pan American Health Organization’s revolving fund for vaccines is still pending. There are negotiations that are advancing so that these debts can be paid“said the official in a press conference virtual through the Zoom platform.

Barbosa pointed out that, however, the organization decided continue providing technical operation to Venezuela in the context of the pandemic and stressed that the country can buy vaccines using the revolving fund through the Covax mechanism. He also pointed out that more than 12 million doses have arrived and that 6.5 million more will arrive this week.

“The price that Venezuela pays is the same that all countries pay. It is a global negotiation that the secretary of Covax makes with the producers and offers to the countries so that they can use their own resources », he explained.

“In the case of the countries that are self-acquisition, as is the case of Venezuela, they then make the payments through the revolving fund, for the vast majority of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and there they receive the vaccines at very low prices. accessible, much cheaper than purchases through bilateral agreements between countries and producers,” he added.

The deputy director of PAHO assured that at no time was there a problem with Venezuela’s debt that prevented it from receiving vaccines against covid-19 with the support of the revolving fund and the Covax mechanism.

Reinforcement every four months

Nicolás Maduro said last Tuesday that all Venezuelans should be vaccinated against the coronavirus every four months until the pandemic is overcome or a dose is created that fully immunizes people from the virus.

“From now on, until further notice, let medicines be discovered, heal, cure, the coronavirus like just another flu, until that time comes or until the time comes when a vaccine is produced that will give you total immunity to the body for a long time, we are going to get a booster shot every four months,” he said.