Ecuador confirms the purchase of 32 million vaccines

Ecuador has bought 32 million vaccines against COVID-19 and is negotiating another eight million to continue immunizing its citizens throughout the year, including minors up to 16 years of age, Health Minister Ximena Garzón said on Thursday.

In an appearance before the Assembly, he assured that “all the steps have been taken to have and guarantee vaccines to all, in an orderly and technical manner, prioritizing those who have the greatest risk of losing their lives” and said that since July almost 3,000 will take action. brigades, each with the capacity to immunize 200 people every day.

President Guillermo Lasso, in power a month ago, offered in a campaign to vaccinate nine million people in his first 100 days in office.

He specified that with that figure “we will be able to reach an immunity level of 72%, however, knowing the properties of this virus, we will continue to vaccinate people throughout the year to achieve immunity.”

That “is going to show more or less in four to six weeks, how the hospital and intensive care systems are going to be decongesting,” said Garzón. He added that negotiations are advanced to buy an additional eight million: 2 million from Pfizer, one million from Sputnik V, one million from Johnson & Johnson, one million from Sinofarm and three million from Moderna.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ecuador has registered 449,483 infected and 21,377 deaths, while the vaccination plan has immunized 2.48 million Ecuadorians with one dose and 1.24 million with two doses.

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