"The Argentine Republic continues to send vaccines as a donation under the strategy of international reciprocity and solidarity aimed at equitable access to vaccines to reduce the effects of the covid-19 pandemic in the context of the new Ómicron variant", announced the Ministry of Relations Argentina's foreign countries, in a note.
The doses depart from Ezeiza International Airport, in Buenos Aires, this Tuesday morning. Four countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (Santa Lucia, Dominica, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) will also benefit from 42,000 doses.
Argentine donations include logistical assistance and technical assistance with conservation and application.
A week ago, Argentina sent 450,000 doses to Mozambique, also from AstraZeneca.
Through the exchange of management experiences with other countries in a context of international cooperation, the Argentine Government offered doses to several countries in situations of need. Among others, Mozambique and Angola accepted the aid. The next beneficiaries will be Kenya and Barbados.
Recently receiving doses from other countries, Argentina reversed the route of donations, starting to issue international aid. As of September, Argentina received 7.063 million doses in donations, half from the United States and the rest from Mexico, Canada and Spain.
"These donations made it possible to accelerate the application of vaccines. Just as Argentina was receptive to donations, now the 'stock' of vaccines and the level of local vaccination make it possible for Argentina to join this solidarity system to donate vaccines", indicated the Argentine diplomat chief Santiago Cafiero, stressing that "from this pandemic, no country is saved alone".
Argentina is part of a global system of reciprocity for the donation of vaccines to reduce the effects of the pandemic.
"While the Ministry of Health controls the amount of vaccines and defines donations, the Chancellery [ministry] makes contact with countries in difficult situations in terms of vaccination coverage," explained Cafiero.
Despite internal criticisms against the donation of vaccines when Argentina has not finished vaccinating its own population, the government guarantees that "Argentina has enough 'stock' to complete the vaccination and still give a third dose to the entire population" .
With 45 million inhabitants, 80.5 percent of Argentines are currently vaccinated with one dose and 64.9 percent with the full regimen.
Covid-19 has caused at least 5,197,718 deaths worldwide, among more than 260.81 million infections by the new coronavirus registered since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the most recent report by the Agence France-Presse.
The disease is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, detected in late 2019 in Wuhan, a city in central China.
A new variant, Omicron, was recently detected in South Africa and, according to the World Health Organization, the "high number of mutations" may imply greater infectivity.
