Vaccines in Venezuela: Amid contradictory versions, Maduro confirmed that they have received 1,300,000 doses from China

Nicolas Maduro On Sunday, it announced a new phase of vaccination against Covid-19 for the next week, B. 1,300,000 doses He stressed that he arrived “recently” from China, without specifying the date of his arrival in the country.

A Chavista leader said: “These days, one million and 300 thousand new vaccines have arrived for Venezuelans directly from China, one million and 300 thousand, and we are already escalating the arrival of vaccines.” He did not specify what kind of vaccine the country had received.

“With all these vaccinations, a plan is already in place to start tomorrow to speed up vaccinationHe added during the country’s COVID-19 budget, which is broadcast by the state TV channel.

Mature He did not specify the total number of vaccines in the country After the arrival of the new shipment, a fact has since been questionable Various officials began giving contradictory figures about the doses received.

According to the data provided by the president himself, the last time he spoke about the numbers, at the end of April it was possible to receive 930,000 doses by then, but the Minister of Health, Carlos Alvarado, said, one day later, that Venezuela counted 1 480,000 doses, not to mention the origin or date of arrival.

Since then, the government has not reported the arrival of new vaccines or numbers, as well Nor has it presented a vaccination plan, as the opposition, doctors’ associations and health workers claim.

In the new phase of immunization, it is planned to continue vaccinating people over the age of 60 and under the age of 60 whose health is at risk due to two or more serious or chronic diseases, according to the president, such as those suffering from HIV. Or kidney disease.

But before that, as soon as the first doses arrived, all of the National Assembly deputies, as well as the president himself and other members of the executive branch, were vaccinated, without being part of the risk groups they were referring to.

The health minister, who accompanied Maduro on his appearance, said health workers would continue to vaccinate 90% of them already, a fact that trade unions and union organizations that shout daily are vaccinated.

The president promised to “start tomorrow” with a plan to accelerate vaccination in the face of mass immunization in the months of June, July and August, with 70% of the population to be vaccinated by then, as Maduro has already submitted recently.

He added that “very soon” millions of doses “that have already been contracted will arrive.”

The country records 222,052 COVID-19 cases and 2,499 deaths. Medical unions and academies of science argue that the actual numbers will be higher due to underreporting and lower testing.

(With information from EFE and Reuters)

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