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HEALTH-VIRUS-ARGENTINA-VACCINES-RUSSIA-PRESIDENT
Argentine president says he’ll get Russia vaccine to dispel fears
BUENOS AIRES, Dec 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – President Alberto Fernandez said
Thursday he would be the first person in Argentina to be injected with
Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in order to dispel public fears.
“I will be the first to be vaccinated so that no one need be afraid,”
Fernandez told a press conference in Buenos Aires, where he announced the
purchase from Russia of enough vaccines for 10 million people.
The president sought to calm fears over mass coronavirus vaccinations and
the Russian vaccine in particular.
Fernandez said he would receive his dose once the vaccine is approved by
Argentina’s National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology.
“We will have enough doses to vaccinate 10 million Argentines,” Fernandez
said.
A first shipment of 600,000 doses will be used to inoculate 300,000 people
— two doses per person — before the end of the year, he said.
In January, doses for a further 5 million people are expected, with the
remainder of the inoculations needed for a total of 10 million arriving in
February, the president said.
The Sputnik vaccine’s developers say it is 95 percent effective based on
interim trial results. However, it’s yet to complete its third and final
phase of trials involving some 40,000 volunteers.
Argentina has been hit particularly badly by the coronavirus pandemic,
surpassing 40,000 deaths from the disease this week, and accumulating more
than 1.5 million cases.
The agreement with Russia is the third signed by the Argentine government
to acquire Covid-19 vaccines.
The other two are joint efforts with Mexico for the British AstraZeneca
vaccine with Covax, a mechanism set in motion by the World Health
Organization to guarantee equitable global access to vaccines.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0926 hrs