21:38 | Puerto Maldonado (Madre de Dios region), Feb. 22.
Environment Minister Gabriel Quijandria on Monday affirmed that the floods caused by heavy rains in Madre de Dios —which have resulted in nearly 15,000 victims and damaged 4,000 houses— have not affected the vaccination process of healthcare workers on the frontline of the battle against COVID-19.
The information was confirmed as the minister monitored this process at five health facilities in Puerto Maldonado (Nuevo Milenio, Jorge Chavez, El Triunfo, La Joya, and Laberinto).
"A river overflow event had been reported on Friday, but this was not an impediment for the vaccines to arrive," he expressed.
The immunization process will continue on Tuesday. "The vaccination that began after the first shipment of doses arrived in Madre de Dios has been completed. The second shipment arrived last week, and the immunization process started last Saturday," the government official added.
He went on to say that part of the material sent to Madre de Dios included 4,800 antigen tests.
"We have to be careful, wash our hands, avoid enclosed places and crowds. Complying with these directives will allow us to resist as the vaccination process continues," the Cabinet member underlined.
Situation
During his two-day stay in this area of the country —as the head of the government delegation— Quijandria held meetings with regional and local authorities to be informed of the real
situation caused by the floods.
"We have flown over areas near and far from Puerto Maldonado, and the truth is that the situation is worrying," he said.
(END) NDP/JOT/RMB
Published: 2/22/2021