Carla Vizzotti arrived in Bolivia to donate vaccines and criticized Mauricio Macri

LA PAZ (SPECIAL SENT) .- In a cold noon in the capital of Bolivia, a Hercules C-130 plane of the Argentine Air Force landed, inside one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that were donated by the government of Alberto Fernández. Upon arrival in this country, the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti carried out strong criticism of Mauricio Macri’s administration for the alleged shipment of war material during the civil conflict that took place in Bolivia in 2019.

Is about the largest amount of immunizers released by the Argentine government almost a year after the start of the vaccination campaign against the Covid-19 coronavirus in the country and which has already reached more than 37 million people, with one dose; about 32 million completed the scheme and more than 1 million have already received a booster dose.

On the plane, which took off in a deserted El Palomar airport after 8.15 am, the Minister of Health traveled; the head of the White Helmets, Sabina Frederic, and the Bolivian ambassador to Argentina, Ramiro Tapia.

“The donation is a great joy for our country. In addition, this will allow not only to take care of the Bolivian people, but also of Argentina because the constant flow of people between both countries“, Said the diplomat to THE NATION.

Before takeoff, Vizzotti also spoke with the media that were invited to participate in the delivery and was happy with the decision of the Alberto Fernández administration to give the doses to Bolivia where only 37.93% of the population is vaccinated.

“Access to vaccines has been inequitable in the world. Especially in Africa and Latin America, that is why we are happy, “said Vizzotti, explaining that it is essential that vaccination be expanded in those delayed regions to avoid the appearance of new variants, such as omicron.

Vizzotti then detailed: “What we have seen with the appearance of each variant is that it is always better to be vaccinated than not. Beyond that some mutations can escape in part to vaccines and people recontact, but the disease is very mild. So, what we are looking for is that there are no deaths and hospitalizations, which are what overwhelm the health system. You have to start keeping that concept in mind and that people understand it ”.

After five hours of flight, in a joint press conference the health authorities of both countries gave a press conference in which they criticized the administration of Mauricio Macri and recalled the sending of repressive material during the crisis that the country experienced in 2019.

“Global problems require global solutions. On this same plane where weapons were transferred to repress the Bolivian people, today life moves. That’s a marked difference, ”said Bolivian Health Minister Jeyson Marcos Auza Pinto.

In turn, Vizzotti stressed that it is the largest donation of vaccines among countries in the region and thanked the White Helmets and the Foreign Ministry for their support.

“This plane came and divided our bodies. Now he came to unite them. This flight has something very special for us. It is one of the most emotional moments since the pandemic began ”, added Vizzotti to the criticisms of the previous administration.

The hardest in his expressions was the Argentine ambassador to Bolivia, Ariel Basteiro: “Now a minister came in broad daylight and with humanitarian aid. Two years ago, Mauricio Macri and at night he sent death on the same plane, at night and in hiding ”.

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