After the vaccine error, the Argentines are angry with the new lockdown

Soon after beginning to relax one of the longest and strictest blockades in the world, the President Alberto Fernandez It was promised in December last year that by the end of February, 10 million Argentines would be vaccinated against Covid-19.

A few months later, this promise has not been fulfilled. Only 9 million of Argentina’s 45 million residents received one injection, and about 2.5 million of them received a second injection. Critics say that with the arrival of the second wave of the epidemic, launching the vaccine faster may help avoid one of the world’s highest daily death rates.

Argentina is now under lockdown again to cope with the sharp increase in cases, and the number of cases has reached a new high as the winter enters and the more contagious mutant viruses from Brazil and the United Kingdom spread.

The new blockade puts pressure on public finances that have reached their limits, threatening Prolonged recession This has been delayed for three years.

It also exacerbates an already harmful political environment by accusing each other before the missed vaccine deadline.

On Monday, Fernandez sued the main opposition politician Patricia Burrridge for defamation, after she hinted that the government would seek bribes from Pfizer, the US vaccine manufacturer, in exchange for access to the Argentine market.

Burrridge wrote on Twitter: “President, you can accuse me as many times as you want, but the vaccine hasn’t arrived yet, and you haven’t clarified what happened to Pfizer.”

Bullrich asked Fernández to explain why the contract under discussion last year had never signed more than 13 million vaccines with Pfizer. These vaccines should have begun to arrive in December and “save thousands of lives.” Argentina gained priority after conducting important clinical trials for Pfizer last year.

The company said in a statement this week: “Pfizer has not yet received improper payment requests… In addition, the company does not use intermediaries, private distributors or representatives to provide Covid-19 vaccine.”

Not only has the deal with Pfizer not materialized, but the local production of AstraZeneca vaccine by a joint venture with Mexico has also been delayed due to a shortage of vials. The first batch of vaccines only arrived this week. Russia also failed to deliver its satellite vaccine on time.

Nevertheless, of the 15 million vaccines delivered to Argentina so far, Russian vaccines account for half, and most of the remaining, about 4 million vaccines, come from China National Pharmaceutical Group. This prompted the opposition to accuse Fernandez’s left-wing government’s motive for purchasing vaccines because of ideological and geopolitical concerns, because Argentina has pleaded with Moscow and Beijing.

Epidemiologist Adolfo Rubinstein (Adolfo Rubinstein) said that although Argentina has done a better job in the region’s vaccine battle than many of its neighbors, the problem lies in the government’s “victory”, which makes Expectations are too high.

“They raised the vaccine plan to an unprecedented level. Not only did they fail to deliver it, but the corruption scandal eroded the confidence of society and angered many people,” he said. Minister of Health of Argentina In February, he was revealed to have personally helped arrange the Covid-19 vaccine for VIPs who had links with the government, and was subsequently fired.

“Unfortunately, the handling of the pandemic has become a victim of political disagreement… creating useless confrontations that must be moderated,” Rubinstein said. “But the government must act first.”

This toxic atmosphere complicates the government’s efforts to persuade citizens to stay at home during the current blockade. This is especially true in the criticism of unequal treatment; the government’s decision to host the Copa America Regional Football Championship in Argentina starting next month has aroused anger.

Hugo Pizzi, an infectious disease expert at the University of Cordoba, said that there are only two ways to control the pandemic: “Only through discipline can you get out of this tragic situation. [in obeying rules aimed at preventing the spread of the virus] And vaccines. He believes that, given the lack of compliance with the blockade rules, for now, the rapid arrival of vaccines in Argentina may be the most promising export.

“This [southern hemisphere] Winter will be very difficult.I hope [lockdown] Javier Farina, an infectious disease expert who advises the government, said he hopes that half of Argentines will receive the first injection by August, compared to only one in five now.

Although the current effective blockade measures “if only health issues are considered, they will need to last longer, if all other issues are considered, economic There is a lot of weight. The final decision of the authorities will bear this in mind,” he said.

Rubinstein believes that one of the biggest obstacles to the success of Argentina in controlling the pandemic is that “Argentines are different and they do not respect the rules.”

Although initially they abided by the restrictions and Fernandez’s popularity continued to rise, their enthusiasm for Fernandez — and compliance with the rules — quickly disappeared after the first few months of the eight-month lockdown last year.

The confusing signals from the government and Argentina’s huge informal economy have compounded lock-in fatigue, which means that many people are forced to find work outside to pay their bills.

Argentina’s demographic structure has made the situation worse. Its population is older than that of the northern countries of Latin America, so it is more susceptible to disease. New, more contagious variants, especially those from Brazil and the United Kingdom, have contributed to the latest surge in coronavirus cases.

Although the situation is worrying, Pizzi believes that in one of the world’s worst-hit regions, Argentina’s situation is not much worse than many of its neighbors. He said that in Paraguay, people are donating chairs so that people can wait relatively comfortably in the hospital yard, while in countries such as Ecuador and Peru, “corpses were piled on the street” last year. “It has never been so bad here.”