MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina to donate 1 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Bolivia

The doses will be carried in a Hercules C-130 aircraft of the Argentine Air Force.

Argentina has announced one million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be sent to Bolivia next Monday, making it “the largest donation of doses between countries in South America since the global pandemic was declared,” according to a Health Ministry statement. The doses will be carried in a Hercules C-130 aircraft of the Argentine Air Force.

“An Argentine delegation, headed by the Minister of Health of the Nation, Carla Vizzotti, and the head of the White Helmets Commission, Sabina Frederic, will leave on Monday for the Plurinational State of Bolivia with the objective of delivering the donation of one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines and to share experiences on vaccination strategies,” the Argentine government said.

Argentine health authorities explained the country was in a position to make a contribution to Bolivia after having injected 82% of the population with one dose and 68% with a full scheme.

”Possessing the stock of doses necessary to start and complete the pending schedules and vaccinate with additional and booster doses to all the inhabitants of the national territory, and having exceeded the average vaccinated population in the continent, our country is in good condition to contribute to the vaccination campaign in Bolivia,” the statement went on.

The Argentine Government also stressed the importance of addressing the problem of unequal access to vaccines and pointed out this donation was a result of a joint effort between Argentina and Bolivia to ensure the rapid and safe arrival of doses to provide further resources to the vaccination campaign and also to share experiences between technical teams on vaccination strategies, a combination of vaccines and the first effectiveness results.

Argentina has already donated over 1.7 million doses of vaccines to countries such as Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, Vietnam, and Barbados.