Coronavirus vaccines in South America: in the region’s race to vaccinate against Covid-19

“Latin American countries will fight for vaccines and medical supplies no matter where they come from,” said Parsifal D’Sola, founder and CEO of the Andres Bello Foundation, a brainstorming session on Chinese and Latin American relations. “So far, developed countries have bought more than 50% of the available vaccines, so Latin America is likely to reach out to China and Russia to fill the gap.”

The Coronavac, manufactured by the Chinese company Sinovac, is already part of the large-scale distribution in Brazil. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines have been embraced by several countries, including Argentina and Bolivia. But in general, the delivery of vaccines in the region is confusing and unequal without a coordinated approach, and it remains to be seen how the pandemic could shape the future diplomatic relationship between South America and the rest of the world.

As Cynthia Arnson, director of the Latin American program at the Wilson Center Policy Forum in Washington, told CNN, South American countries “rarely disagreed so much and could not forge common strategies.”

Here are their vaccination campaigns:

Argentina

Alberto Fernandez’s left – wing government was one of the first in the world to receive orders for the Russian – developed Sputnik V vaccine.

In December, flag bearer Aerolineas Argentinas tweeted a special flight to Moscow directly to pick up the first doses, a sign of how the partnership with Russia is now seen in Buenos Aires.

Argentina has also obtained orders from other manufacturers for a total of nearly 50 million doses, according to Duke University’s database of pre-vaccine agreements.

All the vaccines that have been issued so far come from Russia.

Brazil

Brazil was one of the most hit in the world by the coronavirus, and the vaccination saga became ugly with state governors criticizing the federal government for lack of coordination, and President Jair Bolsonaro questioning the vaccines.

Compared to its neighbors, Brazil has a strong ability to produce vaccines. However, experts believe that the country has fallen behind in the race to buy active ingredients to manufacture them.

The country’s best hope now is the Chinese Coronavac vaccine, an ironic outcome given Bolsonaro’s signs of hostility towards China. More than 2 million doses have already been distributed in Brazil, by far the highest number in the region.

Bolivia

Bolivia experienced a change of power in November when left-wing President Luis Arce replaced Jeanine Añez.

While waiting for the first COVAX doses awarded to Bolivia, Arce was able to obtain at least 20,000 Russian vaccine doses, which arrived in Bolivia on 28 January.

The purchase indicates closer relations with Russia and Argentina, where President Fernandez is a close ally of Arce and his predecessor Evo Morales.

Chile

Public data from Duke University show that Chile had previously purchased vaccines from Western manufacturers AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, but the largest order was placed for the Chinese Coronavac. China is already Chile’s leading economic partner.

Despite ordering more than 90 million doses of vaccine for a population of less than 20 million people, Chile’s vaccination program has not yet received steam. Less than 70,000 people have been vaccinated so far.

Colombia

Colombia is the largest South American country that has not yet started vaccinations.

President Ivan Duque has reacted to critics, saying that the country mostly relies on the COVAX mechanism and promises that vaccinations will start on 20 February.

Colombia, the closest ally of the United States in the region, did not buy vaccinations directly from Russia, but recently announced a small purchase of the Chinese-made Coronavac.

Ecuador

Last month, this Andean country started its vaccination program using the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. Like other countries in the region, it is eagerly awaiting the COVAX mechanism to start delivering doses.

Ecuador holds presidential elections on Sunday. Andres Arauz, a leading left-wing candidate, has sharply criticized the government’s management of the crisis, claiming that, if elected, he would secure millions more doses from China and Russia through Argentina.

Guyana and Suriname

None of them started vaccination – but the impact of the pandemic was small, with less than 10 thousand cases in each of them.

Both must receive doses through COVAX.

Paraguay

The only country not caught in South America is a case study for vaccine diplomacy.

Paraguay has no diplomatic relations with Beijing and recognizes Taiwan – which is claimed by China – as the legitimate Republic of China.

Last year, a group of lawmakers submitted a motion to the Senate to convert the recognition in Beijing’s favor, in hopes of receiving more medical supplies to curb the pandemic. The vote failed.

Paraguay has not yet received a single dose of the vaccine, but it is awaiting more than 4 million doses through COVAX.

Peru

Like neighboring Colombia, Peru has not yet received any doses. Both countries expect to be one of the first to receive vaccines from COVAX, but Peru has also used China’s Synopharm vaccine to increase its arsenal.

In total, Peru expects more than 50 million doses, thanks in part to vaccination trials held last year to provide valuable data to manufacturers.

Uruguay

After Venezuela, Uruguay has the lowest number of reported Covid-19 deaths per million people in South America. The government has orders with both Pfizer and Sinovac, while also expecting nearly 2 million doses through COVAX.

One of the smallest countries in the region, Uruguay, has already started vaccinations.

President Lacalle Pou lamented what he called an “impressive trade war” over the vaccines.

Venezuela

On paper, Venezuela is the South American country least affected by the pandemic.

However, there is still great doubt about the ability of the government of President Nicolas Maduro to effectively track affairs in the country.

Maduro announced that Venezuela would receive vaccinations from its traditional allies Russia and China as early as October, but no vaccination campaign has yet been set up.

Maduro also hoped to receive the Cuban vaccine Soberana 01, which is still under development.

According to the Pan American Health Organization, Venezuela has been banned from joining COVAX due to lack of payments.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Cynthia Arnson’s surname.

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