Bolivia is the second country to receive Russian Sputnik vaccines in the region, after Argentina. Credit: ABI
PEACE.- Nine out of 10 people who enter the intensive care units in Bolivia die. To curb this situation and alleviate health services, the country began its vaccination plan against the coronavirus “Dose of hope”, with the priority placed on front-line personnel. This “titanic” task occurs in the midst of warnings of a stoppage of activities in the health sector.
“Throughout the country we have saturated intensive care services, both in the private and public sectors. People are on pilgrimage in search of attention, not even people with money can find a bed. And the situation is even more complicated in La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, “he informed THE NATION Cleto Cáceres, president of the Medical College of Bolivia.
The “Dosis de esperanza” vaccination plan reached the nine departments of Bolivia. Credit: ABI
Vaccination against the coronavirus began with the first 20,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik vaccine that arrived in La Paz after a transfer in Buenos Aires. The vaccines were transported from Moscow by an Aerolineas Argentinas plane and are part of the 5.2 million doses agreed with Moscow.
In addition, it signed an agreement for 5 million doses with the British laboratory AstraZeneca, which will begin arriving in April, and will access almost a million vaccines through the Covax mechanism. Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and El Salvador were the first four countries selected, out of 72 applicants, to receive the Covax vaccines against Covid-19.
“Statistics show us that 9 out of 10 people who enter intensive care units eventually lose their lives. We are working to advance immunization and thus give the population as a whole peace of mind“reported Jorge Richter, presidential spokesman.
In the first phase, the doses will be placed medical personnel, people over 60 years of age and people with underlying diseases.
“We are losing doctors with a lot of experience, over 40 years old and it is very painful to talk about the casualties due to the coronavirus. The vaccine is a esperanza“added Cáceres.
Bolivia will receive 900,000 doses of the vaccine from AstraZeneca and 92,430 doses from Pfizer, the vaccines will arrive in mid-February. Credit: ABI
In the second phase they are contemplated to receive the vaccine military, police and other sectors that represent risk groups. A third phase is comprised of the rest of the population, 18 years of age and older who will receive the vaccine for free. It is planned to vaccinate a total of 7.2 million people to guarantee herd immunity.
“Our plan to fighting Covid-19 has three pillars: the first is to carry out tests to detect cases in a timely manner and prevent infections. The second pillar is the vaccines that are becoming reality today. The third is coordination with governments and mayors. And lVaccination is the structural solution to the problem of the pandemic“informed Luis Arce, president of Bolivia, through his Twitter account.
The logistics for vaccination against coronavirus “requires additional efforts”Richter mentioned in time to anticipate that the Government could appeal to private dairy and food companies to guarantee the cold chain that is needed to preserve vaccines.
“This is a situation of abnormality, it is a crisis but logistics are being prepared for the arrival of more vaccines. Cold storage capacities must be improved fixed in the nine departments and also of the vaccine transports, “Richter reported during a press conference.
In social networks a video circulated where it is observed how a vehicle of a poultry company moved the vaccines in the department of Beni. Richter explained that there was a Damage to the vehicle designated for the transfer.
The Beni Headquarters uses a refrigerated chicken truck to transport the vaccines against the coronavirus. Credit: Social networks
Bolivia has a high fatality rate, registered 4.8% in the first days of February, although the peak occurred in April 2020 with 8.2%, according to Our World Data. The Ministry of Health reported that the country, with more than 11 million inhabitants, exceeded the 10,500 deaths from coronavirus.
The department most affected by the pandemic is Santa Cruz, and medical personnel in this region warn with a stoppage of activities if not a rigid quarantine is declared.
“We cannot continue exposing health workers, or the population, that is why we do not rule out going to a 48-hour strike, then 72 and finally indefinite,” said Rocío Rivera, spokeswoman for the Trade Union Federation of Public Health Medical Branches (Fesirmes), to the media. Given this, the Ombudsman’s Office reported that the strike in the hospitals threatens the health of the population.
The Ministry of Health and Sports reported that the national accumulated of Coronavirus cases is 220,426 infections, of which 48,149 are still active.
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