After several months without being clear about the delivery dates of the Sputnik V vaccines that Guatemala bought from Russia, this Thursday, September 16, the former Minister of Health, Amelia Flores, presented the schedule of the doses that will come to the country; however, on one of the dates already met there is evidence of a delay with 100,000 doses.
Guatemala initially ordered 16 million doses of the immunizer from Russia and last April paid about US $ 79.6 million for half of the purchase. However, the delay in deliveries caused the country to propose the return of the money.
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After the controversy, Guatemala and Russia agreed last July to specify only the purchase of 8 million vaccines, although so far it has only received 1.3 million for first doses and 160 thousand for second doses.
This Thursday, September 16, during a joint press conference between the former Minister of Health, Amelia Flores, and the new head, Francisco Coma, an activity report was presented and the delivery schedule for the Russian vaccines was revealed.
According to the delivery schedule presented by Salud and which would be part of the new contract, in the last delivery on August 31, Guatemala would have received 400 thousand first doses and 200 thousand second doses; However, the arrival records of this drug held by Health and other institutions show that only 100,000 doses of the second component were received, something that can be considered as a delay.
However, the Department of Social Communication of the Ministry of Health pointed out that the schedule may vary and that because the vaccines must continue to arrive, the amounts have to add up in the end.
Schedule
- On May 31, 100,000 first doses were received
- On June 30, 50 thousand first doses were received
- On July 31, 750 thousand first doses were received
- On August 31, 400 thousand first doses and 200 thousand second doses were received (in the official records only 100 thousand second doses were received)
- On September 30, 500 thousand first doses and 300 second doses should be received
- On October 31, 700 thousand first doses and 500 thousand second doses should be received
- On November 30, 800 thousand first doses and 1 million second doses should be received
- On December 31, 700 thousand first doses and 2 million second doses should be received
- Total, Q 8 million, 4 million first doses and 4 million second doses
Guatemala adds a total of 8 million 899 thousand 220 doses of vaccines acquired through donations and private acquisitions.
From February to date, local health authorities have vaccinated 3 million 963 thousand 266 people with the first dose of the immunizers, of which 1 million 899 thousand 512 have already received the complete scheme (two doses).
Cases
The Guatemalan health authorities reported this Thursday, September 16, another 48 deaths from covid-19 and 1,010 new positive cases of the disease, for which the country adds 12,907 deaths and 521 thousand 93 infections in total.
According to the report of the Health portfolio, in the last 24 hours 8 thousand 65 tests for covid-19 were carried out in the Guatemalan territory and one thousand 107 were positive.
With the 48 new deaths, Guatemala has 12,907 deaths from the pandemic, 67% of them male and 33% female.
The Ministry of Health detailed that 39,963 cases of SARS-CoV-2 remain active, although the figure is an “estimate.”
Guatemala detected the first case of the coronavirus on March 13, 2020 and the first death due to the disease took place two days later, on March 15.
The country has been under the third wave of the coronavirus since June 14, Health Minister Amelia Flores said at the time.
With information from Ana Lucía Ola and EFE
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