Penelope Canonico
09/07/2021 4:55 PM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 09/07/2021 4:55 PM
The march of
the National Vaccination Plan against Covid
poses new dilemmas and crossroads with the imminent arrival of the first batch of
Pfizer's
vaccine
,
which is now expected to be received around the third week of
September
.
Originally, the first installment was scheduled for last Sunday, but it was postponed.
The
initial objective,
announced by the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti
,
was
begin to
inoculate
with the first departure
to 17-year-olds
without comorbidities, at the end of this month
.
But everything indicates that it will not be able to materialize in the estimated term.
The most likely thing, as confirmed by official sources to
Clarín
, is that adolescents will have to
wait until October
to have a first puncture.
It is that the
580,000 vaccines
planned for September would be destined as second doses of Sputnik V, which is still missing.
Currently, there is a difference of almost
7 million doses
between components 1 and 2 delivered to Argentina.
That gap could be shortened if Russia authorizes this month the 3 million second doses completed by the Argentine laboratory Richmond.
According to the delivery schedule sent by Pfizer, the delivery of the
19.5 million doses
announced and pre-agreed with the US laboratory
is expected to be completed in the last quarter of the year
.
In this framework, approximately 6 million would arrive in October, 6 million in November and the difference in December.
Pfizer vials.
580 thousand doses are expected for September.
Photo: Reuters
According to the sources consulted, the Federal Health Council (Cofesa) decided that each of the 24 jurisdictions would
be in charge of defining
the destination of Pfizer vaccines: applying them as a second component of Sputnik V to complete heterologous schemes or use it to advance the immunization of 17-year-old adolescents without comorbidities.
In the City of Buenos Aires, for example, registration for children under 17 years of age without comorbidities is not yet open.
As explained to
Clarín
, that opening is expected when more progress is made with the application of the second doses in older adults.
Today, only minors with priority conditions can sign up, who received doses of Moderna.
As reported by the Buenos Aires Health portfolio,
of the 20,000 registered
in the district, a small proportion remains to be immunized,
and very few new ones are registering.
The City also confirmed that they expect to receive
the first batch from Pfizer
as of September 10.
And that
it will not be applied in boys
, since it will be destined to complete schemes of adults who received the first dose of Sputnik V.
From the Health portfolio, they justified the decision in the fact that the Pfizer doses will be "a small amount of doses and using them in adolescents
would generate more expectations
of what can be addressed."
They estimate that from the first batch they would have about 30,000.
Moderna doses were also used domestically to cover Sputnik schemes.
Photo: Reuters
“
In October, we will probably start with adolescents without comorbidities
.
During September we are going to receive very few, about 30,000 ”, says Minister Fernán Quirós, in consultation with
Clarín
.
In the province of Buenos Aires,
registration
for the coronavirus vaccination is
open for age groups between 12 and 17,
but for now only those with comorbidities are being immunized.
The group of 18 can be inoculated with general schemes.
"The rest of the shifts will be assigned when we have the vaccines," they point out from the Ministry of Health.
A little more than 700,000 children
without priority conditions have
already
registered
.
“It is not decided if the doses of Pfizer that we receive in September are going to go to adolescents of 17. Most likely not.
The other possibility is that they are used to complete heterologous schemes.
There is still a percentage of uncertainty related to the schedules.
When we are clear about them, the order will be defined and what comes first, "Health Minister Nicolás Kreplak told Clarín.
The official added: "That organization will depend on how many and when the Pfizer shipments arrive. It is still being discussed and
both options are open and possible
”.
The biggest problem, the authorities argue, is that the meager amount of doses to be distributed this month will not be enough to vaccinate all 17-year-olds.
For this reason, from the Ministry of Health, they estimate the possibility that they are used in another priority group.
"Vaccinating such a small percentage is
not going to have a great epidemiological effect
and can add operational problems and confusion in society," Kreplak believes.
"If the country receives 6 million doses and the Province has two and a half million, it is feasible to start with that age group all together, it will not be necessary to divide it and the shifts may be assigned in a massive way", they forecast from the district more largest in the country.
Rossana Chahla, Minister of Health of Tucuman, meanwhile told to
Clarin
: "For the amount of vaccine that Pfizer will receive in September, most likely to be used as
second dose of Sputnik V
.
When we have the vaccines for the age range of 12 to 17, we will open the registration and assign the shifts at the same time, as we did with those over 18 years of age ”.
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