United States donates 3.5 million Moderna vaccines to Argentina
Around 3.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine arrived in Argentina in the small hours of Saturday morning, donated by the United States to combat Covid-19.
Two Aerolíneas Argentinas aircraft flew to Memphis between Wednesday and Thursday where they loaded up for the flights that touched down eventually at Ezeiza International Airport, west of Buenos Aires.
"It’s a record donation for Argentina, the biggest in Latin America," government sources told the Noticias Argentinas news agency.
"The United States and Argentina are working together as partners to battle against this global pandemic," said U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires MaryKay Carlson, confirming the news.
With this shipment - part of President Joe Biden's donation of 20 million doses to the hard-hit Latin America region - Argentina has reached a Covid-19 vaccine supply total of 30 million doses.
Argentina has largely relied on Russia's Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm for its vaccination campaign.
Over 27 million doses have thus far been administered - out of a goal of 63 million. Some 65% of Argentine adults have received a first dose - but only 16%, a second.
At: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/us-donates-35-million-moderna-vaccines-to-argentina.phtml
Argentine Chief of Staff Santiago Cafiero and U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires MaryKay Carlson welcome the first of two flights carrying Moderna Covid-19 vaccines at the international airport near Buenos Aires yesterday.
The 3.5 million doses donated as part of President Joe Biden's 20 million-dose Latin America program will help Argentina arrive at its goal of vaccinating all 33 million adults with two doses ahead of schedule.
The country has lost 100,000 victims to Covid-19, the fifth-highest death toll in the region and the 11th-highest worldwide.
