The President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, announced Tuesday, July 27 the cancellation of the purchase of eight million doses of Russian vaccine Sputnik V due to the delay of a delivery by Moscow.
He said he would negotiate with other pharmaceutical companies.
The president told a press conference that his government had renegotiated the contract and would no longer buy the additional eight million Russian doses as planned in a first agreement.
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Alejandro Giammattei said the canceled purchase was
“50% of what was to be spent on Sputnik vaccines”
.
Guatemala has contributed $ 79.6 million to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for eight million doses of Sputnik V. However, so far the country has only received 550,000 vaccines.
This delay has been followed by criticism of the government and even demands for the president's resignation.
Alejandro Giammattei said his government was now negotiating the supply of vaccines with the American companies Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.