PAHO said that Venezuela must pay an advance of USD 18 million to receive COVID-19 Vaccines from Covax

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said Wednesday that Venezuela must pay an advance of 18 million dollars to receive vaccines against covid-19 that you have reserved through the Covax global access system.

“In the Americas, the PAHO Revolving Fund for Vaccines is the mechanism through which countries have access to Covax vaccines,” said Ciro Ugarte, PAHO’s Director of Health Emergencies. “How much do you need to pay [Venezuela]? It is an initial advance of 18 million dollars, that is what is needed to be able to secure the vaccines“, he pointed.

Weeks earlier, PAHO had reported that Venezuela’s failure to pay could impede access to vaccines, and Ugarte’s statement on Wednesday made the first payment a requirement for Venezuela to participate in the program.

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, is preparing to hold a press conference today, at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas (Venezuela).
 

Venezuela has reserved between 1.4 and 2.4 million AstraZeneca vaccines through the Covax system of the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these doses have not been able to reach Venezuela, as the country has not paid its debt with the WHO, said on Friday Alena Douhan, special rapporteur of the UN to evaluate the impact of sanctions on human rights. The first payment term expired on Tuesday.

With 30 million inhabitants, Venezuela, which participated in the Sputnik V clinical trials, adds 133,927 confirmed cases and 1,292 deaths from covid-19, according to official figures, questioned by organizations such as Human Rights Watch.

On Wednesday, Nicolás Maduro announced that on Thursday the immunization of health personnel will begin but with the first 100,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, which arrived in the country last Saturday. “Tomorrow, Thursday, February 18, we start all the vaccination of the country’s health personnel,” Maduro said at a press conference.

View, on February 13, 2021, of the boxes with the first Sputnik V vaccines at the Maiquetía International Airport (Venezuela).
 

Maduro also said that his government has invested 200 million dollars to purchase those doses of the Russian vaccine.

By reiterating that Mass vaccination is scheduled for April, the president said that in addition to the health personnel, the deputies of Parliament will also be vaccinated, mostly Chavista, as well as security personnel, both police and military, and other government officials.

The vaccination plan includes “authorities who, because of their street work, justify (…) their special protection for the State to continue its marchLikewise, the deputies and deputies will be vaccinated in this first stage, “he said, noting the death of several mayors and senior officials of Chavismo by covid-19.

The batch that arrived in the country on Saturday represents 1% of the total agreed in November with Russia by a delegation from the government of the Caribbean country on a visit to Moscow. It is not yet known when the next installment will be.