Peru's Health Min: COVID-19 vaccination process not to be disrupted

Ugarte specified that —in the last two days— the organization of vaccine packages destined for different areas of the national territory has been finalized, in order to complete the immunization of health sector personnel.

"It is not true that it has been stopped; the vaccination process continues," he told reporters during a press conference also attended by Prime Minister Violeta Bermudez and Foreign Affairs Minister Allan Wagner.

In this regard, the Cabinet member indicated that coordination with the Armed Forces remains in force for them to collect the supplies at the National Center for Supply of Strategic Resources in Health (Cenares) and 

continue with the distribution on Wednesday.

The Cabinet member indicated that the lack of coordination observed in the first days of the vaccine distribution process —which led it to being supplied to personnel not committed to COVID-19 patient care— have already been solved, adding that the number of people, who will be immunized at each medical institution, has been determined.

Ugarte also said that the information provided last Monday by Cayetano Heredia University has already been delivered to the Health Ministry's commission led by Dr. Fernando Carbone. In turn, this group "will find out if there are other batches (of delivered vaccines) and other people who could have benefited (unethically from the wrongdoings)."

Asked about the authorization for the private sector to participate in the supply of vaccines against COVID-19, the Cabinet member indicated that this must be conducted with full respect for the current legislation.

 

In this context, the minister pointed out that a provision of this nature will have to be framed in Article 234 of the Penal Code, which establishes sanctions for those who incur in gouging.

Ugarte also pointed out that thanks to the vaccines already committed by the laboratories Sinopharm, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca, the COVAX initiative, as well as those being negotiated with Gamaleya and Johnson & Johnson, there will be "enough doses for the entire country."