Crisis in Minsa: Vaccines against COVID-19 are about to be expired as immunizations fall in children and third doses

After the Comptroller's Office issued a report, informing that a total of 205,285 vials of AstraZeneca's vaccine purchased to protect people against COVID-19 will expire on March 31, alarms will again be activated and put the Ministry of Health in everyone's sights.

These are bottles of the vaccine, valued at S/ 57 million 046 thousand 215, which would represent a great loss to the State and above all that it violates the health of Peruvians in the face of the arrival of new variants and a possible fourth wave of the virus.

Despite this report issued by the Comptroller of the Republic, María Martínez, head of immunization at the Ministry of Health, said to La República that until now they have no roads in the Cenares depots and all have been distributed to the regions.

“The source that we manage is that there is no vaccine to expire there in March 2022. We do not have any vial that is about to expire in Cenares, 17 days have passed, in fact the cut is on February 28, for now we have no vaccine to expire”, he said for the media in question.

However, he said that as of February 28, 8,580 doses of the vaccine expired in Madre de Dios, Tacna and San Martín.

“People are not going because the message was given that it was a reinforcement and it is not really reinforcement, we have moved the communication strategy to tell the population that this is not a reinforcement but a third dose that they should receive it because if there is a next variant it must totally find us vaccinated,” Martinez explains.

“With the process of 'sweeping' we are looking for those who did not get the first, second and third doses, as well as adding the children,” said the official, who stressed that the challenge is greater than before. On the other hand, he said that vaccinations will be maintained.

VACCINATIONS AMONG CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE CONTINUES TO DECLINE

Faced with the questions, the official of Minsa, María Martínez, acknowledged that there is a slowdown in the rate of immunization at the national level, all in young people and children. After this problem that puts health at risk in this sector, he indicated that the strategy called “sweeping” is being used for brigades to go to institutes, universities and colleges,” he said.

Despite the availability of vaccines, nearly 8 million people over the age of 18 have not returned for the booster dose even though they received their second vaccine three months ago, data analyst Juan Carbajal told the newspaper.

And if reviewed by age group, there is a greater gap in the 18-29 age group. The specialist also states that “At the rate we are going in March, at most 70% of what was applied in February would be achieved”.

ASTRAZENECA VACCINE IS USED FOR BOOSTER DOSES

Through its Twitter account, Minsa said about the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the importance of people attending for their booster doses.

“The current health directive states that, if the person received his first and second doses with Pfizer or Sinopharm, then his third dose can be with AstraZeneca. It is important to remind the population that Minsa uses vaccines with proven efficacy and safety,” said Minsa through its official Twitter account.

OSCAR UGARTE DENOUNCED HERNÁN CONDORI FOR LETTING VACCINES EXPIRE

The former head of the Ministry of Health during Francisco Sagasti's administration denounced Hernán Condori, the current head of MINSA, for the alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 vaccination process in Peru.

The former Minister of Health, said that there are more than a million vaccines that are about to expire.

“There are six million doses (Sinopharm) that should be due this month because the maximum duration is six months and they were purchased in September,” he said.

Given this, Óscar Ugarte regretted that Hernán Condori and the Health sector are responsible for the vaccination process for the third dose against COVID-19 has been considerably delayed.

“What is not seen is that the Ministry is resolving the issue. He is in other things, with other speeches, he attacks everyone, he raises a smokescreen, but about this, which is his main responsibility, he has not said anything,” Ugarte said of Hernán Condori.

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