How Chile became a leader in vaccination

Chile, in the lead in vaccination against covid-19 2:28

(CNN) - It

was the end of May.

The world watched helplessly as the Covid-19 pandemic progressed unhindered country after country in what would later be called "the first wave" of infections.

After China, Italy and the United Kingdom became hotspots for the virus, cities in the United States followed, especially New York.

And then in late spring, the coronavirus spread across South America.

By May 27, Chile, along with Peru, had reached the world's highest per capita infection rates at a seven-day moving average, according to

Our World in Data

, an independent statistics website based at the University of Oxford

Chile was fast approaching 80,000 infections and by then more than 800 people had died.

Fast forward nine months and Chile is in a totally different category.

By February 9, while some Latin American countries like Nicaragua had yet to receive any vaccines, the Andean nation of 19 million had already administered more than a million doses.

It hit two million on Monday and the immunization rate continues to improve.

With 12.43 people vaccinated per 100, Chile now has the fifth highest per capita vaccination rate in the world after Israel (79.48), the United Arab Emirates (53.43), the United Kingdom (24.3) and the United States. States (17.00).

It is even doing better than the European Union (5.19) and China (2.82).

And its rate is four times better than that of Brazil, which has the second best rate in Latin America (2.77), according to data from the

Our World in Data database

.

• Chile ahead of Mexico and Argentina (and all of Latin America) in vaccination against covid-19.

  These figures show it

How could Chile turn the situation around and become a benchmark in vaccination?

In the first place, your government decided very early to spare no effort in acquiring the vaccine… any vaccine.

The Chilean government has managed the purchase of 35.7 million doses so far, which means that it will have the capacity to vaccinate more than 90% of its population.

advertising

According to the Chilean Minister of Health, Dr. Enrique Paris, the country has acquired or is in the process of receiving 10 million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech and another 10 million from Sinovac.

Subsequently, the country reached agreements with Covax (WHO), Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca to reach 35.7 million in total.

Dr. Elmer Huerta, a contributor to CNN en Español and an expert on public health and health policy in Latin America, says this multi-pronged strategy has been very successful.

«Chile did not hesitate to make contracts with Sinovac, Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

The key was that Chile realized very early on that it was necessary to close multiple agreements with vaccine manufacturers.

In Latin America, Chile is one of the best positioned countries to do business and that has given it an advantage, ”said Huerta.

And then the Chilean authorities have been busy turning whatever public space they can into a vaccination center.

CNN recently visited a courtyard on the campus of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago.

A space where you would normally see college students mingling had grown into a highly organized and efficient clinic.

That's one of the many covid-19 vaccination centers across the country.

A 'very well organized' process

Gabriela Valderrama, a Santiago resident who received her vaccine on the university campus, described the process as "fantastic" and "very well organized."

"I think it's great that they have different days for different age groups," he said.

In addition to schools and government buildings, health authorities have opened vaccination sites across the country in places like shopping malls and soccer stadiums.

“It is one thing to buy a vaccine and have it available and another totally different is to inject it into people's arms.

That's what logistics is all about.

Chile has had a great distribution and vaccination.

It has opened vaccination centers in strategic locations that are close and convenient for people, unlike in the United States, where we start vaccinating people in hospitals and large sites where people crowd quickly, "said Dr. Huerta.

Edgardo Cruz, a 71-year-old Santiago resident who received his first injection at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile site, says he is proud of the effort that has been made so far.

“Now we are a role model at the international level.

I think buying vaccines and investing (in purchases) since May was a worthwhile effort, "said Cruz.

He also added the unified message from the entire government on social distancing and the use of masks.

The calendar is followed to the letter

President Sebastián Piñera himself, who is 71 years old and therefore eligible to receive the vaccine last week, took the opportunity to make an observation… wearing a mask, of course.

"I would like to let my fellow citizens know that this vaccine is safe, effective and that we have made a huge effort to inoculate all Chileans, all citizens of our country," he said after receiving the first injection of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, which will be followed by a second on March 15.

Sebastián Piñera was vaccinated against covid-19 0:27

“Chile also put politics aside.

The country's politicians realized that covid-19 was the enemy and reduced tensions between political parties, working together towards the unified goal of controlling the pandemic, “said Huerta.

And while other countries have struggled to decide who should receive the vaccine after frontline workers, Chilean authorities devised a vaccination schedule that is being followed to the letter.

After healthcare workers, the focus was on older people.

Teachers, pharmacists and police officers became eligible to receive it on Monday.

With less than 19 million inhabitants, the relatively small size of the population is also an advantage.

It means that each vaccine advances further towards the goal of herd immunity, especially when compared to larger populations such as those in Brazil, China, or the European Union.

The goal of the Ministry of Health is to vaccinate five million people by the end of March and four out of every five Chileans before the end of the first half of 2021.

Nicolás Cortés Guerrero contributed from Santiago.

This is the vaccination against covid-19 in Latin America

coronavirus