Fast forward nine months and Chile is in a totally different category. While some Latin American countries such as Nicaragua have not yet received a vaccine, the Andean people of 19 million had already vaccinated more than one million doses by 9 February. It reached two million on Monday and the vaccination rate continues to improve.
It performs even better than the European Union (5.19) and China (2.82) and its rate is four times better than Brazil, which has the second best rate in Latin America (2.77), according to data from Oxford University se “Our World in Data” “database.
How could Chile turn things around so dramatically?
According to the Chilean Minister of Health, dr. Enrique Paris, the country has acquired 10 million doses of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and another 10 million from Sinovac, or is in the process. The country later reached agreements with Covax (WHO), Johnson & Johnson and Astrazeneca to reach the total of 35.7 million.
Dr. Elmer Huerta, medical associate of CNNE, an expert on public health policy and Latin American countries, says this strategy with multiple successes has been very successful. “Chile did not hesitate to enter into contracts with Sinovac, Pfizer or AstraZeneca. The key was that Chile realized very early on that it was necessary to conclude several transactions with vaccine manufacturers. In Latin America, Chile is one of the countries with the best position to do business and that gave an advantage, ‘Huerta said.
And then Chilean authorities were turning any public space they could into a vaccination center. CNN recently visited a courtyard on the campus of the Pontifical Cahtolic University of Chile in Santiago. A space where you would normally see university students mixing has been transformed into a very organized and efficient clinic, one of the many Covid-19 vaccination centers across the country.
Gabriela Valderrama, a Santiago resident who shot her on the university campus, describes the process as’ fantastic ‘and’ very well organized. “I think it’s phenomenal that they have different days for different age groups,” she said.
In addition to schools and government buildings, health authorities across the country have opened vaccination sites, such as shopping malls and football stadiums.
“One thing is to buy a vaccine and have it available, and a whole other thing is to inject it into people’s arms. That’s what logistics is all about. Chile has had great distribution and vaccination. ‘vaccination center in strategic places, close and comfortable for people, unlike the United States, where we vaccinated people at hospitals and large premises where people are quickly overcrowded,’ ‘Dr Huerta said.
Edgardo Cruz, a 71-year-old Santiago resident who received his first shot on the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile website, says he is proud of the effort made so far.
“We are now an international role model. I think it buys vaccines and invests [in purchases] “since May has been a fruitful endeavor,” Cruz said.
A united message about social distance from the government, from top to bottom, and mask use, did not hurt either.
President Sebastián Piñera himself, who is 71 years old and therefore eligible to get the chance last week, took the opportunity to make a point … of course with a mask.
“I would like to let my fellow citizens know that this vaccine is safe, that it is effective and that we have made a huge effort to vaccinate all Chileans, all citizens of our country,” he said after receiving the first shot of received the Chinese manufacturer. Sinovac vaccine followed on March 15 by a second.
“Chile also set aside politics. The country’s politicians realized that Covid-19 was the enemy and turned off tensions between political parties and worked together for the united goal of controlling the pandemic,” Huerta said.
After health workers, the focus was on the elderly. teachers, pharmacists and police officers were eligible on Monday.
At less than 19 million, Chile’s relatively small population size is also an advantage. This means that each vaccine goes further towards the goal of national herd immunity, especially compared to larger populations such as those of Brazil, China or the European Union.
The Ministry of Health’s goal is to vaccinate five million people by the end of March and four out of five Chileans by the end of the first half of 2021.
Journalist Nicolás Cortés Guerrero contributed from Santiago.