BOGOTÁ, Colombia
Argentina on Wednesday became the first Latin American country to approve the emergency use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The government’s resolution comes as Aerolíneas Argentinas waits for a shipment of 300,000 doses in Moscow before returning to Buenos Aires before noon on Thursday.
“The ANMAT [National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology] advised the Minister of Health to grant emergency authorization to the Sputnik V vaccine,” said a statement released on Wednesday through the Ministry of Health.
According to the document, the vaccine is a “safe and effective therapeutic tool of access for our country to lower mortality, reduce morbidity and decrease the transmissibility of the disease.”
The Russian Direct Investment Fund indicated that ANMAT approved the vaccine “based on the effects of the III clinical trials carried out in Russia. ”
Officials from the Ministry of Health had traveled to Russia recently to learn about the quality and safety of the vaccine.
As of Wednesday, Russia and Belarus had approved its use.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández, 61, said earlier this month that he would get vaccinated himself first, that Sputnik V has only been tested on volunteers aged 18 to 60 and was therefore only advised for others. people in this age group. Russian President Vladimir Putin, 68, also does not qualify.
Health regulators approved the emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine against COVID-19 on Tuesday and the AstraZeneca vaccine is also expected to be authorized in the next few hours. The vaccination plan will begin on Monday in the South American country, which has registered more than 1,555,000 COVID-19 cases and 42,000 deaths, according to a tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University.