The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines has arrived in Latin America, with Mexico receiving the first shipment. Mexico plans to vaccinate 750,000 healthcare workers and those over 90 years old using 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Brazil expects to have 150 million vaccine doses in the first half of 2021 from Sinovac and AstraZeneca. Argentina has begun vaccinations using 300,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. Colombia has secured deals for 9 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Chile began vaccinations using an initial 10,000 Pfizer doses. Uruguay has kept cases low through efficient testing.

1. First batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrives in Latin America
Latin America has been one of the worst-hit regions from the Covid-19 pandemic,
globally. Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru have reported major outbreaks.
The ​World Health Organization (WHO) ​gave its first approval for the emergency use of
a vaccine against Covid-19 on 31/12/2020 evening: the immunizer developed by the
British ​Pfizer​ and the German ​BioNTech​.
The immunizer’s inclusion in the WHO emergency use list allows ​UNICEF​ and the ​Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO) ​to acquire and distribute the vaccine to less
developed countries.
The decision also allows countries that do not have structured regulatory agencies to
streamline their regulatory approval processes to import the vaccine and start applying it
to their population.
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2. In general, access to any vaccine will not be wide and unrestricted in Latin
America.
All countries in Latin America and the Caribbean expressed their interest in
participating in the vaccine process, although some cannot buy vaccines. But this
mechanism should take the coronavirus vaccine to only 10% to 20% of the
poorest countries’ populations.
Mexico
Mexico is the first country in the region to receive the coronavirus vaccine,
President ​Andrés Manuel López Obrador ​said on a live video that he estimates that, by April, the
majority of the “most vulnerable” Mexicans will be vaccinated against ​COVID-19​.
Mexico plans to immunize 750,000 health professionals and then people over 90 years old. The plan is
to use the purchase of 1.4 million doses of the ​Pfizer/BioNTech ​vaccine for this (each person will take
two doses).
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3. Mexico has recorded a total of 1.3 million COVID-19 infections and 119,495 deaths related to the
disease, the fourth-highest death toll worldwide.
Brazil
Shipments of the Pfizer vaccine are scheduled to arrive in some other Latin American nations this week
and vaccine candidates from other producers have already arrived in Brazil and some other nations
pending formal approval by their health authorities.
Brazil’s Health Ministry expects to have at least 150 million doses of​ vaccines​ against COVID-19
available in the first half of 2021, with a third or more coming from a Chinese company.
Arnaldo Medeiros, a health ministry official, told a congressional hearing on Tuesday that an initial deal
to acquire 46 million doses of vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech could soon be expanded to
100 million doses.
The Sao Paulo state government’s Butantan Institute is expected on Wednesday to present data from its
late-stage trial of the Sinovac vaccine, called CoronaVac, which has already begun rolling off its
fill-and-finish production line.
President Jair Bolsonaro had​ snubbed​ that vaccine, citing doubts about its “origin” and trading barbs
with Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, a political rival. But the Health Ministry has been eager to secure
supplies of it as the global rush for vaccines heats up.
The federal government’s Fiocruz biomedical centre is also expected to begin fill-and-finish of the
AstraZeneca vaccine in coming months, delivering the first shots on February 8. The ministry expects
104 million doses by June, officials said.
Separately, the ministry is in talks with Pfizer to receive eight million doses of the vaccine it developed
with Germany’s BioNTech in the first half of 2021.
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4. In ​Brazil​, from ​Jan 3​ to ​6:30pm CET, 2 January 2021​, there
have been ​7,675,973 confirmed cases​ of COVID-19 with
194,949 deaths​.
No COVID-19 vaccine has been approved yet for use in Brazil.
Argentina
Argentina began to vaccinate its citizens against the COVID-19 using Sputnik V. Last week, 300,000
doses of the Russian vaccine were delivered in the country.
Latin America’s third-largest economy registered nearly 1.6 million cases of the disease and 42,868
deaths since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March.
Health workers will be the first to be vaccinated, followed by members of the policy, teachers, the elderly
and other high-risk groups.
Following the authorization in the UK, the coronavirus vaccine from the ​University of Oxford ​and the
pharmaceutical company ​AstraZeneca​ has been approved for emergency use in Argentina.
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5. In November, Argentina signed an agreement with the British laboratory for 22.4 million doses. The
authorization process at ANMAT had started a month earlier, on October 5. So far, the Argentine health
agency has authorized two vaccines against the coronavirus: the Russian ​Sputnik V​, ​of which 300,000
doses have already begun to be applied to health personnel​, and that of ​Pfizer/BioNTech​.
Colombia
Colombia’s President ​Iván Duque​ announced in his daily broadcast on Wednesday that the National
Government closed an agreement with the pharmaceutical company ​Janssen​, a ​Johnson & Johnson
subsidiary, to purchase 9 million vaccines against COVID-19.
According to Duque, unlike other vaccines, this one only needs one dose per person. With this new
figure, the country will be able to vaccinate 29 million Colombians next year.
“In the next few days, we will also be closing agreements to be able to tell 35 million Colombians that
they will be vaccinated,” said the President. According to experts, with the vaccination of 35 million
Colombians, an approximation of herd immunity could be achieved in the country, which has around 50
million inhabitants.
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6. Chile
Chile, the first country in South America to begin vaccinating against COVID-19, started innoculations on
Thursday after receiving its initial 10,000 doses from Pfizer-BioNtech.
Chile has vaccine deals with AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Sinovac and is part of the global vaccine
distribution scheme COVAX. Chile’s Health Minister Enrique Paris said he expected Pfizer to send
240,000 doses in January and the first batch of Sinovac vaccines after Jan. 20.
Authorities aim to inoculate 80% of Chile’s 19 million people in the first half of next year.
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7. Uruguay
Uruguay stands out as having successfully kept the spread of the virus contained. Despite a recent
increase in new daily cases over the past month, Uruguay has consistently kept its positive test rate
under 2% since June. Uruguay’s smaller overall population and low population density influenced the
slower spread of the virus; however, one of the most important factors was swift and efficient testing.
Taking a closer look at how Uruguay managed the Covid-19 pandemic could provide insight into how
other Latin American countries can replicate these results and reopen their economy safely.
To date, Uruguay has recorded a total of 10,893 confirmed cases and 102 deaths due to Covid-19
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