Peru has signed
a deal to access the COVID-19 vaccines developed within the framework of COVAX Facility, a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, Deputy Public Health Minister Luis Suarez affirmed on Monday.
"The payment agreement has already been concluded. We had until September 15 to sign the payment commitment and that's what we did. I have signed the agreement myself, and the payment is in process," the government official stated.
"The vaccine has been guaranteed, as well as the purchase of the Pfizer vaccine. With these first two purchases, we have secured the supply of 11 million doses, and agreements with other pharmaceutical firms are on their way," he added.
Suarez estimates that the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines (the one developed by Pfizer) will arrive by the end of December or early January. They will be administered to healthcare workers first.
The Health Ministry's plan is to prioritize the saving of lives and, then, avoid contagion. In this sense, healthcare workers will be vaccinated first, followed by patients with comorbidities and people aged over 65 years.
COVAX Facility
The goal of the COVAX Facility is to ensure equitable access to all economies and ensure that income is not a barrier to access.
The COVAX Facility serves as an invaluable insurance policy for participants to secure access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines through its actively managed portfolio of vaccine candidates across a broad range of technologies.
The Facility provides all participants access to the same vaccine candidates, on the same accelerated timeline in an effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic as quickly as possible.
(END) NDP/RRC/RMB
Published: 9/21/2020