America experiences great inequality in the vaccination process with countries that have not yet received vaccines against COVID compared to others, such as the USA. USA and Chile, that in a few weeks have already inoculated more than 5 percent of the population.
They have qualified as a role model the experts the work of Chile, where more than 1.5 million people have been vaccinated with at least one dose since the mass immunization began on February 3.
The figure is more than good for the South American nation, which has 19 million inhabitants, and has earned it worldwide recognition.
Chile, which began vaccinating health personnel intensive care on 24 December and the massive inoculation last week with those over 90 years, administers 5. 58 doses for each 100 inhabitants, according to data from the University of Oxford.
This number, experts say, is much higher than the world average of 1.9 doses for each 100 inhabitants and the 1. 94 dose from Brazil, 1. 18 from Argentina and 0. 56 of Mexico.
The United States advances but with gaps in its territory
Although the United States leads the way in vaccination in America with 11. 53 dose for each 100 inhabitants, in its extensive territory there are notable disparities between states, such as Virginia Occidental, which doubles the percentage of vaccinated to another state with a large rural population such as Alabama.
According to specialists, the main problem lies in the lack of a clear strategy of vaccinations at the federal level, a claim that the Administration of US President Joe Biden has tried to correct in recent weeks.
In fact, data from the Johns Hopkins University warn that the gap between states is deepening for reasons such as differences between public health systems, coordination between governments and medical centers, some mistrust about vaccines and management in the distribution.
Biden himself announced this Thursday that his country will have enough doses to vaccinate against the covid – 19 to almost its entire population, some 330 million people, at the end of July, after reaching new agreements with Pfizer and Moderna.
Big hopes but small steps
Although Latin America was filled with hope with the start of vaccination at the end of December in Mexico, Chi In Argentina and Costa Rica, the forecasts of most governments have not been fulfilled due to the non-compliance of the pharmaceutical companies with which they signed contracts or due to the logistical difficulties they have encountered.
Thus, for example, Mexico, which was one of the first countries in the world to apply the Pfizer and BioNTech drug on 24 December, so far you have only received about 767, 02 doses, which prevented his goal of immunizing all frontline medical personnel with 1.4 million units in January.
East 10 February, the Federal Commission for The Protection Against Sanitary Risks of Mexico authorized the emergency use of the COVID vaccines from the Chinese pharmaceutical companies CanSino and Sinovac to try to take a further step in that direction.
In this way, the country, of 126 million inhabitants, has pre-purchase agreements for 34. 4 million doses of Pfizer, 77. 4 million from the British AstraZeneca, 35 million CanSino, 24 millions of the Russian Sputnik V and 51. 5 million from the Covax platform, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO). The problem now is that they arrive at the agreed times.
Also, in Brazil, the second country in America most affected by the pandemic, after the United States, The Minister of Health, Eduardo Pazuello, declared this Thursday that “the entire population” will be immunized this year and that, although the Amazonian variant of the covid – 19 is “three times” more contagious, existing vaccines fight it.
With 236, 200 dead and almost 10 million cases, the minister said he expected that the “50% of the population” of the country, of 210 million inhabitants, be vaccinated in the first semester of 2021 and the other 50% for the second.
However, several senators questioned this statement since, until now, Brazil has only obtained 11 millions of doses that began to be applied last month and that in some cities are about to run out.
Another that has had setbacks in vaccination is Argentina, which this Friday reached the 50, 029 deceased by covid – 19, disease that 2 have already contracted, 015, 496 people in that nation.
Argentina will have a total of 610, 000 doses of each component, far from the 5 million that, according to the contract signed with the Russian Direct Investment Fund, it was expected to receive in January and the 13. 7 million expected in February, and a long distance from countries like Chile with its 1.5 million vaccinated .
Complaints and claims
In the middle From the global frenzy for vaccination, the first complaints and claims regarding the administration of drugs are beginning to come to light.
Such is the case of the Department of Health of Puerto Rico, which is investigating the possible violation of the regulations that establish the order of vaccination on the island by priority groups while anxiety grows among the elderly about being inoculated and Governor Pedro Pierluisi asks for calm.
“Let’s keep calm. All people who are 65 years or more will be called to be vaccinated, “said Pierluisi, who added that, Thanks to the relationship with the United States, this territory is in a better situation than more than 90% of the countries in the world .
The function encouraged the residents by stating that Caribbean neighbors, such as the Dominican Republic, “expect to receive their first doses after the month of March” , while in Puerto Rico about 400, 000.
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