MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Third doses and shots for foreigners announced in Argentina

Vizzotti underlined Argentina's vaccination campaign was faster than the ones in Bolivia and Paraguay

Argentina's Health Minister Carla Vizzotti Tuesday announced third doses of COVID-19 vaccines were to be applied to specific groups of patients as well as to foreign tourists.

Vizzotti also explained that a second PCR test will no longer be required on the fifth day of entering the country.

The Minister also explained the new phase will encompass people over 50 years of age who have already received two shots of Sinopharm's drug as well as all those immunosuppressed over 3 years of age.

During the announcement at Casa Rosada, Vizzotti also commented on other sanitary measures devised to make tourism easier.

She insisted Argentina has “a high level of immunization for having made strong progress in the vaccination campaign” but she made a distinction between third doses and booster doses, which are necessary to just complete the immunization scheme.

Booster doses are to be administered to healthcare staff as of December.

Foreign tourists will also be eligible for a vaccination against the coronavirus, with the spotlight on those arriving from Bolivia and Paraguay, since those two countries are behind Argentina in their vaccination drives.

“Being aware that we have enough stock to vaccinate all Argentines, we are going to advance with the offer to tourists under 18 years of age, who are the ones who will be able to enter without having tourism vaccination, and to those who enter due to some exception”, Vizzotti explained and then announced that in 2022 there will be booster doses for the rest of the population.

The minister also explained Sinopharm vaccines “can be combined with a heterologous scheme”, due to which those over 50 years of age will likely receive a dose of AstraZeneca instead of the Chinese drug.

“We have vaccines both for children, for adolescents, for the second doses of the entire population that started the scheme, for the 10% of those over 18 years of age who have not started it yet, and for the third doses destined for those immunocompromised and those over 50 who received Sinopharm,” she stressed.