The Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Raquel Peña, recently announced that the country has reached the 5 million citizens who have already received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, gradually approaching the goal of 70% of the population achieving herd immunity.
Known for its rapid economic recovery during the pandemic, the Dominican Republic also announced that it had received a record number of tourists during the month of September, and it continues to be the lowest risk destination in the Caribbean.
Peña, who has dedicated her life to business and academia, has been in charge of directing the coordination of the Health Cabinet during the COVID-19 pandemic, successfully achieving one of the highest vaccination rates in the region and a economic reactivation that takes into account the needs of the new traveler profile in a post-pandemic era.
In an exclusive interview with Global Citizen, Peña gives details about how the pandemic has affected the country and what the keys have been to start an economic recovery, achieve a high vaccination rate and maintain a safe tourist destination.
Global Citizen: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Dominican Republic and what have been the challenges for its proper management?
Vice President Raquel Peña: As a country, the Dominican Republic has not been exempt from the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has produced worldwide, effects of great importance that permeated our people and our economy, in all dimensions of life, which put the bare pending tasks on inequality, digital divide, social protection; and also opportunities to generate greater resilience in the productive sectors. We are facing an unprecedented situation, where social, economic and political actors pinned their hopes on the actions of the State. Undoubtedly, a test for the new management, for governance, for our leadership, and as an opportunity to strengthen the social fabric and international articulation.
Faced with an uncertain horizon, due to the degree of ignorance about the coronavirus, we are committed to strengthening digital government tools, to guaranteeing education, production chains, food safety, and above all the integrity of the health system. All this, to continue offering the services that we are called to provide, beyond the covid19, guaranteeing effective attention, despite the systemic gaps that the sector suffered. However, the confidence shown by all sectors encouraged us not to falter in the face of this enormous challenge, which has allowed our country to have 84% below the average in Latin America in the total number of coronavirus cases per million population. The number of deaths from the disease is 82% lower than the average for Latin America, placing us as one of the countries with the lowest fatality in the region.
Currently, the positivity rate remains low at less than 6%, and the fatality rate close to 1%. This has been possible thanks to adequate strategic planning that identified the regulatory, institutional and market aspects that had to be addressed, which did not prevent the timely supply of the necessary resources, despite the limitations of the international market. All these challenges did not prevent the country from obtaining the inputs for the implementation of the National Vaccination Plan so successful, which places the Dominican Republic as a benchmark in the region.
What have been the results so far of the vaccination plan and the reception of the population? How has the vaccine been approached to different age groups?
We can affirm that the National Vaccination Plan against covid19 is the largest and most important Public-Private alliance that the Dominican Republic has had. Together with the private sector, academia and trade union and civil society organizations, we managed to launch an effective and inclusive campaign. We were able to successfully overcome the challenges of accessing the amount of doses necessary to inoculate all of our people, to keep our health system stable, our economy afloat, and to be firm in the sanitary measures that the pandemic demands.
Initial vaccine dose limitations led us to access data analysis and engineering tools, an agile logistics design and deployment to urgently protect the population with the highest risk. All this, while the negotiation efforts with the pharmaceutical companies were redoubled, to have a greater number of doses to reach the entire population, in the midst of an environment of accentuated social protection and care economy, to ensure a comprehensive approach . The industries and universities in the country were integrated to provide the supplies that were needed in the hospitals, innovating in the production of these to face the shortage in the international markets. In just six months, we have vaccinated more than 60% of the adult population, and 100% of our health personnel. At its peak, the Dominican Republic has been the second country in Latin America with the highest rate of application of new daily vaccines per 100 inhabitants.
We have been able to begin to reduce some restrictions, given the downward trend that virus infections have shown, and pay attention to the reactivation of economic activity, with an openness that has made the recovery of the various productive sectors of the country possible. . An example of this is the elimination of the curfew, in the provinces where 70% of the population has both doses of vaccine against covid19. In parallel, the National Vaccination Plan has been complemented with access to free laboratory tests to detect the virus, which allows us to strengthen our containment strategy. The National Vaccination Plan was structured so that the age groups with the highest risk, such as people over 65 years of age and health personnel, could receive vaccines in the first stage of the plan.
Given the number of people with higher risks, we intensified the negotiations to be able to obtain a greater quantity of vaccines so that everyone could be inoculated. Thanks to the efforts of the central government, we were able to expand mass vaccination for all age groups in less time than expected.
Part of the success of the National Vaccination Plan could be measured in the sense of ownership in all sectors. This has facilitated the implementation of versatile strategies and tactics that have been adapted at each stage of the plan. In this way, it has been possible to guarantee vaccines to the entire population, through various days with a vision of regions. House-to-house vaccination has been carried out, schools, shopping malls, recreation centers, sports centers and churches have been used, among others. Likewise, for the installation of vaccination centers, we have established alliances with the private sector for the development of initiatives that allow accelerating vaccination and consequently economic reactivation. These efforts and alliances have allowed us to deploy more than 1,300 vaccination centers nationwide and, above all, we have integrated all sectors, who have made this objective their own and have been key to together overcome this pandemic.
With the results obtained from the vaccination, a de-escalation and economic reactivation plan was established, which has led the country to levels of activity and employment that are close to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, the Dominican Republic is positioned with a notable and historical advance in digital Government, according to the E Government Development Index we will continue with the recovery and with the strengthening of institutional systems that allow us to build greater development. We will leave an institutional structure with strong capacities created ad hoc to improve the anticipation models and the systemic response to future crises.
More than 13 million doses have been applied!
The goal is getting closer and closer, only together we will achieve 70% of vaccinated nationwide.
If you have not yet applied the first, second or third dose, today is a good day to do it.#VacúnateRD
– Raquel Peña (@RaquelPenaVice) October 23, 2021
Equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines for everyone, as well as the relocation of their production and a temporary lifting of Intellectual Property restrictions are essential to achieve immunization of the global population. How does the Dominican Republic support these efforts?
As a right of all people, since we assumed the management of the Health Cabinet, we quickly proceeded to independent and direct negotiations with governments and different pharmaceutical companies, for the accelerated acquisition of the necessary amount of vaccines to inoculate 100% of the population goal. In addition, the Dominican Republic is one of the 190 countries that are part of COVAX, a mechanism that allows equitable access to vaccines against covid19 worldwide. Beyond this, we understand that the measures that allow greater production and facilitation of access to the vaccine by all countries that have not been able to advance in vaccination are of great importance.
The Dominican Republic relaxed regulatory barriers to facilitate access to vaccines. We believe in the exchange of knowledge and technology transfers to broaden the production horizon, both for inputs and for biological products. In this way, we respond to a virus that knows no barriers, with a vaccine distribution that breaks down theirs, in a universal commitment to public health.
Tourism is one of the main sources of income for the Dominican Republic. How will the implementation of a new recovery plan for the rehabilitation of the sector in a sustainable way, including the factor of environmental protection and climate action, be like?
All the actions that at a general level we have taken to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in our country, have had a direct impact on tourism and with it the progressive recovery of the livelihood of the thousands of workers who work in that sector, with a vision of community responsibility that prioritizes collective health and economic growth. Thanks to a correct management of prevention and mitigation measures, the country has been able to recover tourism to the point of achieving the arrival of more than 2,500,000 tourists, from January to August 2021, surpassing its figures. 2020 period.
The vaccination of workers in the tourism sector, the application of strict specialized protocols for the sector, the implementation of controls at airports and measures in tourist areas, have allowed us to be a safe country for visitors. The implementation of the travel assistance plan, with COVID-19 coverage, has also been an effort for the safety of tourists who visit our beautiful country.
What have been your main motivations as a woman and vice president to successfully manage and cope with the difficulties presented by the pandemic?
Since we began in the vice presidency of the Republic, President Luis Abinader entrusted us with the great responsibility of coordinating the health cabinet, in the midst of a health crisis. As a public servant, I understood that the health and lives of our people depended on proper management and we could not fail the hopes of a country. We had to successfully overcome the difficulties of a pandemic. As a woman, it is a pride to be able to put at the disposal of my country that opportunity typical of the Dominican woman, to give herself thoroughly to the tasks that she undertakes and that with strength she contributes to her nation, from whatever position she is in. The pandemic does not know gender, so both men and women have been affected by its aftermath. For everyone in an equal way, we will continue to apply policies of access to health, in this health situation and for as long as we have the privilege of serving the nation.
–
