Robert Acevedo, a legislator for the opposition Liberal Party and former president of the Paraguayan Congress, died a victim of covid-19 at the age of 55.
(Credit: NORBERTO DUARTE / AFP via Getty Images)
(CNN Spanish) ––
The Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay decreed this Friday three days of mourning to honor the memory of Robert Acevedo, legislator of the opposition Liberal Party and former president of Congress, who died a victim of covid-19 at the age of 55.
The president of the Permanent Commission of the National Congress, Raúl Latorre, told local media that the death of Deputy Acevedo should lead the authorities to a deep reflection regarding the way in which the pandemic is being faced.
“A death that could have been prevented if we had the vaccines.
A death that reminds us of the delay we are having in this matter.
A situation already practically lonely with the scarce supply of vaccines that we have as a country, if we make a comparison with countries in the region, "said the legislator.
Paraguay began vaccination against covid-19 with a severe warning from the Minister of Health
Hours later, Paraguayan Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni announced that 36,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines are expected to arrive on March 15.
The vaccines will arrive through the Covax mechanism of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Coalition that seeks to provide equitable global access to covid-19 vaccines.
Also, Mazzoleni indicated that between March and May another 304,800 vaccines will arrive in the country.
This until completing the 4.3 million doses purchased through Covax.
For his part, President Mario Abdo Benítez spoke with several of his counterparts in the region, with whom “he shared the concern regarding the inequity in access to biologics against the coronavirus.
Position that was exposed during his speech yesterday in the V Summit of presidents of the Forum for the Progress of South America, “according to the official IP news agency.
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Abdo added that "there is the possibility of establishing agreements between leaders so that those who bought higher volumes can give them to those who are still having access difficulties through international solidarity, as in the case of Paraguay."
The vaccination campaign against covid-19 in this country began on Monday and during the week 2,000 health workers received the Sputnik V vaccine. The 4,000 doses that have arrived so far are part of a batch of one million vaccines acquired from Russian Fund for Direct Investment.
According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, Paraguay registers 3,135 deaths from coronavirus and a total of 156,189 confirmed cases.
Covid-19 Pandemic Coronavirus Vaccine