04/08/2021 4:28 PM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 04/08/2021 4:28 PM
Hours after Santiago Cafiero said that the provinces can negotiate the purchase of vaccines,
Córdoba and Tierra del Fuego
announced this Thursday that they are taking steps to acquire doses against the coronavirus.
From the province governed by Juan Schiaretti, they are in talks with AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Elea (not yet approved in Argentina), while the government headed by Gustavo Melella announced that they are negotiating with Russia and China.
The Government of Córdoba reported that "since November it has been in talks" with the
AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Elea
laboratories
.
However, he indicated that the companies "would not be in a position to supply" before the
end of the year
based on the commitments assumed with the nation states.
Tweets from the Government of Córdoba about vaccines against the coronavirus.
The start of the negotiations, "through the health authorities", dates back to November 2020, they noted on the Government's Twitter account.
Despite the stipulated delays, "in all cases the commercial representatives of the laboratories expressed their good will."
Two known vaccines and a Cuban development
For its part, Tierra del Fuego resumed negotiations on Thursday to acquire
50,000 Sputnik V vaccines and 50,000 Sinopharm.
The steps, pending for several months, were reactivated after the message of the national Chief of Cabinet, high-level Fuegian authorities explained to Télam.
To do this, the governor, Gustavo Melella, sent notes to the Russian National Investment Fund (Russian Direct Investment Fund Rdif) with the idea of
"retaking a
preliminary
agreement."
Gustavo Melella, Governor of Tierra del Fuego.
The province negotiates the purchase of vaccines against the coronavirus.
This document was signed in 2020 and provides for the possibility of a direct purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine, without the intervention of the National State.
In addition, Melella reactivated the dialogue with the Chinese embassy in Argentina, with which there had also been previous contacts, for the Sinopharm vaccines.
Tierra del Fuego has another vaccine in its sights.
It is
"Soberana"
, one of the products that Cuba develops.
Although it has not yet received approval in Argentina, the Fuegian Minister of Health, Judith Di Giglio, has already contacted
the
Cuban Embassy.
In that sense, they added that the Cuban vaccine is of particular interest because it is the "only one authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) for children under 18 years of age."
Alberto Fernández and Gustavo Melella.
The first approach of the Fuegian Government with the Russian Investment Fund had taken place in
September of last year
.
Then Melella also communicated to Ambassador Dmitry Feoktistov the province's interest in
offering infrastructure
for the production of the Sputnik V vaccine on Fuegian soil.
On that occasion, the provincial president held videoconferences with Vladimir Primak and Dimitry Ustinov, representatives of the Rdif, in which he reiterated the government's interest in integrating the Russian vaccine development and distribution program.
The news comes after Santiago Cafiero clarified that both the provinces and the City of Buenos Aires
can buy vaccines on their own.
"That is not forbidden. There is an error that is being magnified: both the provinces and the City can buy vaccines on their own, the same as the private ones," said the Chief of Staff, on Wednesday night in TN.
A nurse applies a dose of the Soberana vaccine candidate in Havana, Cuba.
Photo Xinhua
In any case, Cafiero also anticipated the difficulties recognized by Córdoba.
Given the shortage and the demand from nation states, "anyone who goes out to the market today to try to buy, is going to get
them, who knows in what month,"
said the official close to Alberto Fernández.
Due to this situation, the Minister of Health of the City of Buenos Aires assured this Thursday that the debate on vaccines "is an
abstract debate."
"This debate does not find a real opportunity in the market," Fernán Quirós said on Thursday.
And he explained: "There are two types of provision in the world: China and Russia only sell to national states; the companies that supply the market have committed all their annual production months ago."
So far, the Covid vaccines that are applied in the country are: Sputnik V, Covishield (produced in India), Sinopharm and AstraZeneca.
With information from Télam
DD
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