A few days before the arrival in the country of the first 100,000 doses of the antidote developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya research center, Venezuelan health authorities activated the vaccination campaign, which mainly includes health professionals.
Health Minister Carlos Alvarado informed that the rest of the Sputnik V doses supplied by Russia, a total of 10 million, will arrive in the country progressively, Prensa Latina reported.
According to the Minister, the Venezuelan Government aims at vaccinating at least 70 percent of the population this year, in order to achieve the so-called herd immunity.
The massive application of the Russian vaccine is scheduled to begin in April, while the Executive is advancing in negotiations with the Pan American Health Organization for the purchase of 15 million vaccines in the international market, said President Nicolas Maduro.
In a press conference with the international media, the Head of State mentioned the efforts to achieve the release of 300 million dollars, corresponding to part of Venezuela's gold reserves blocked by the Bank of England, to be used for the purchase of these supplies.
Maduro highlighted that the combination of the global access fund for anti-Covid-19 vaccines (Covax), of the World Health Organization, with antigens developed by nations such as Russia, China, and Cuba, will allow advancing in the process of protection of the Venezuelan population.
RHM/PR