Nov
Human Rights, Politics
Bukele: COVID vaccines for El Salvador
Last Wednesday, November 25th, Nayib Bukele addressed the nation to explain his plan of vaccination for El Salvador. Afterwards, the Presidential House said in a now deleted tweet that the army would be in charge of its application. This year, the army has become a great ally of the presidential house, supporting with “sanitary” fences, entering the Legislative Assembly and fighting locusts.
CNN reports:
In El Salvador, the COVID19 vaccine could be applied as of the first quarter of 2021 for free, universal but voluntarily, as described by President Nayib Bukele on Wednesday night.
The president said that the AstraZeneca laboratory, which develops the vaccine together with the University of Oxford, will supply a batch of two million doses.
Bukele said, on a radio and television broadcast, that as agreed by contract, he could not reveal the cost, but pointed out that it was “five times lower” thanks to the fact that he has negotiated it since June.
The authorities estimate that in the first quarter of 2021 they could receive the first doses.
Bukele Says Frontline Personnel Will Be Priority For Vaccine
“We are going to prioritize front-line personnel,” Bukele said. Medical personnel, policemen and soldiers would receive the first batch and later it will be applied to groups at risk, such as those over 50 years of age and people with chronic diseases, because this way “we can reduce 99% of deaths”, said the president.
Children and pregnant women would not be vaccinated, as it is contraindicated, the Government said in a statement.
Bukele also asked the population to continue applying hygiene and social distancing measures to avoid contagion, while the vaccines arrive. “This is a light at the end of the tunnel,” considered the president. In addition, he said that the country has an agreement to acquire three other types of vaccines, although he clarified that people will not be able to choose which one they will receive.
At one point in his speech, the president stated: “If you want, you can wait and not get it. We are going to use the vaccines as they arrive”.
According to the Government, in the next few days it will release more details of the other laboratories with which there are agreements to supply the vaccine against covid-19.
