Sebastian Clemente
06/10/2021 18:12
Clarín.com
Cities
Updated 06/10/2021 6:12 PM
Richmond and CanSino
are the strongest options that the Buenos Aires government has to buy vaccines against the coronavirus.
This was confirmed by sources linked to the administration of Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, who are negotiating to acquire doses that allow them to advance with the immunization campaign.
Until a few hours ago, the picture was different.
Despite the attempts made with other laboratories, the results had not been satisfactory and everything seemed to indicate that the City would not get doses until at least next year.
However, it has now been confirmed that, at least with CanSino,
the negotiations are advanced
and there could be a formal announcement about it in the coming weeks.
Although the sources did not confirm the amount of doses for which it is negotiated, it could be
between 300,000 and 1,000,000 of vaccines
, and even more.
What if the City gets its own vaccinations.
The mechanism that will be implemented is not yet clear, since the national Health Ministry is the authority that enables the entry of doses and their distribution.
However, if a jurisdiction buys a batch of vaccines, it could use them in its own territory and
they would be "deducted" from the amount it has from national distribution.
In turn, these doses would be granted to other districts that do not have their own supply.
Vaccination in the City.
This Thursday they began to take turns and apply the immunizer among those over 50 without risk factors.
Photo: Lucia Merle
CanSino
Biologics is the Chinese laboratory with which the national government is also negotiating, which is about to close an agreement for the purchase of vaccines from July.
As it transpired, that month two million doses would arrive and another eight would arrive during the rest of the year.
Although neither jurisdiction confirmed how much they will pay, the market value is estimated to be
US $ 14 per dose.
Argentina was one of the countries in which the phase 3 trial protocol for this vaccine was carried out, with
8,000 volunteers
earlier this year.
Now the final steps of the last testing phase are being completed, after having been tested, in addition to here, in Russia, Pakistan, Mexico, where it is already applied, and Chile.
According to the results, it shows
an efficacy of 65% in symptomatic patients and 91% for severe cases of coronavirus.
Its technology is that of
inactivated virus
vaccines
.
In addition, its distribution is simple logistics, since it requires conservation in a common refrigerator, between 2 and 8 degrees.
Vaccination in the City.
This Thursday they began to take turns and apply the immunizer among those over 50 without risk factors.
Photo: Lucia Merle
What raised doubts two weeks ago was the effectiveness of the
only dose
that is applied.
According to a statement from the pharmaceutical company in Mexico, where the immunizer is used especially among teachers,
the possibility of applying a booster
is studied
six months after the first application.
Apparently, that is the time in which there is a loss in the antibodies generated.
In a statement two weeks ago, the laboratory had clarified that "an amendment to its protocol" was made in its phase III studies, which involved more than 45,000 people in "different countries of the world" and 15,000 volunteers in Mexico, where packages the drug in a plant in the state of Querétaro.
"It was decided to
administer a second dose to all the participants
, and in this way - at the same time - to be able to study the possible benefits that a second booster dose could bring to the vaccine," the company reported.
It is not ruled out that the same happens with the volunteers who received the vaccine in Argentina.
In addition, there is
still the approval of the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT)
, an unavoidable requirement for the application of the vaccine in Argentina.
The other laboratory with which the City negotiates is
Richmond,
which this week received the first 300 liters of the active ingredient of the
Sputnik V
vaccine
to finish the production process, which includes filtering and filling the vials containing the doses, in Argentina.
As anticipated by the president of the laboratory, Marcelo Figueiras, the plant in Pilar, province of Buenos Aires, has the capacity to produce
500,000 doses per week
as of the next few days, although the goal is for 5,000,000 vaccines to be produced from there per month when the expansion of the facilities is completed.
Buenos Aires sources told
Clarín
that this agreement is also advanced, and that in both cases there could be specific announcements during
the coming weeks.
Until Wednesday, in Buenos Aires soil there were 1,079,459 people vaccinated with one dose and 287,229 with the complete scheme.
And 1,366,688 of the 1,398,012 doses received had been applied.
The district will get about 30,000 vaccinations from the
second component of Sputnik V by the weekend
.
And it is expected that on Monday it will receive part of the AstraZeneca lot that would arrive from the United States with 980,000.
This Thursday, Buenos Aires
citizens over 50 years old without previous risk factors
began to be vaccinated
.
And if progress occurs with the arrival of more doses, next week the stage of those over 45 could be enabled.
SC
Look also
In the City they finished vaccinating teachers and police: how the campaign continues
In the City they enroll 55+: how to sign up and how much time the youngest need to get vaccinated