MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine province of Buenos Aires to start house-by-house vaccination campaign

“It's going to be a house-to-house sweep. To reach each and every one,” Kreplak said

The Argentine province of Buenos Aires will start Wednesday deploying house-by-house roving vaccinating squads to reach both those who have not had access to immunization as well as people who are reluctant to get jabbed, provincial Health Minister Nicolás Kreplak announced Tuesday.

Kreplak explained five groups will tour the areas where there are a “lower percentage of coverage” and “more remote and rural” parts of the province.

The squads consist of vaccinators, promoters and health care staff. They will first operate in five districts of Greater Buenos Aires and two inland municipalities: Tres de Febrero, San Miguel, La Matanza, Lanús and San Isidro, in addition to the vehicles that already work in Azul and Villa Gesell.

“To reach that small percentage of the population that continues to be those who get sick and occupy intensive care beds and who are mainly people who have not been vaccinated, we have developed collectives so that they can be mobile vaccination units and enter more remote territories and rural areas,” said Kreplak.

The official insisted this measure sought to “reach the most vulnerable population,” who will be only administered the first dose of vaccine.

Community Health Director of the Province of Buenos Aires Noelia López also pointed out the vaccinating groups will be “equipped and made up of interdisciplinary teams and social organizations from the neighbourhoods that will actively search house by house for those people who, for different circumstances, still did not agree to the vaccination.”

“It's going to be a house-to-house sweep. To reach each and everyone,” Kreplak said.

After announcing the house-by-house squads, the province has allowed bars to remain open until 3 am (from a current midnight closing time), thus easing nighttime restrictions as the primary elections loom over. The province will also be allowing music concerts and cultural gatherings of up to 1,000 attendants.

Buenos Aires Cabinet Chief Carlos Bianco explained the decision had been made “at the request of the mayors.” Bianco added such a request could be granted thanks to the “decline in cases” of coronavirus.