Peru's Prime Minister Violeta Bermudez on Friday affirmed that the Government is in intense
negotiations to reach contracts in order to acquire the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Regarding the vaccines, we are actually in intense negotiations. Even though we have no date, I would say we are close to being able to sign some of the contracts that we could not complete before," she said in remarks to RPP radio and TV station.
Likewise, she explained that the first half of next year provides a more realistic scenario, as a "reasonable horizon" to start the vaccination process.
Second wave
On the other hand, she noted that it is not accurate to say that a second wave of COVID-19 has already hit the country, according to explanations provided by experts at the
Ministry of Health (Minsa), who monitor figures at national level.
"Precautions are being taken because we have identified diverse behaviors depending on the area of the country. For example, in the north —in Piura— we see worrying figures, but most of the cases are reported in rural areas, which were directly admitted to ICU owing to the remoteness of the city," she stated.
The government official explained that the national average, with respect to the presence of COVID-19 in Peru, has seen a sustained —non-drastic— downward trend.
(END) JCC/CVC/RMB/MVB
Published: 12/18/2020