Argentina’s president Alberto Fernández announced On Saturday, he tested positive for COVID-19.
Remarkable: Fernández received his first dose of Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on January 21 and the second on February 11, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- The doctor’s president, Federico Saavedra, said in a statement: “The clinical picture is mild due to the protective effect of the vaccine being received.”
For the record: Argentina became the first country outside Russia in December last year to start vaccinating people with the Sputnik V vaccine.
- In a peer-reviewed analysis of a large clinical trial published last February, the vaccine was found to show almost 92% efficacy against symptomatic cases of COVID-19.
- Two studies published last month found that people who are fully vaccinated can still catch the virus, although it is quite rare.
By the numbers: Argentina’s health officials administered approximately 7% of the population of 45 million single coronavirus vaccine doses and 1.5% received both shots, according to the WSJ.
The whole picture: According to Johns Hopkins, COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Argentina, which reportedly reported more than 82,100 cases in the past week.
- The Argentine government last week suspended flights from Brazil, Mexico and Chile in an effort to prevent coronavirus variants from entering the country.