One hour after the aggravating hour, Rodolfo tried to register his elderly mother for a Covid-19 vaccination via a Mexican government website, only to have the system repeatedly dropped.
“I fought the site for three days,” he said. “My mother could not have done it without me.”
After the website was launched on Tuesday, millions of Mexicans over 60 who tried to register were met for days on end by an error message. And even when the page was loaded, other users reported further delays while a separate government agency checked the official ID numbers, just to deliver the message “No Answer”.
Many countries, including Canada and EU countries, have struggled to put in place their vaccination programs, but the disastrous launch of Mexico came at a particularly bad time.
The country’s daily death toll Covid-19 averaged more than 1,000 in January, while hospital beds, oxygen tanks and intubation drugs were in short supply. The official death toll is now more than 163,000 – the third highest in the world.
The collapsing Health Secretariat website fueled the feeling that the government’s response was wrong.
“It feels like a placebo,” said Bárbara González, a political analyst, after enrolling her parents for vaccinations. “It’s hard to believe that things will start to improve if they’s done such a poor job so far.”
Human rights groups have also expressed concern that many people, including migrants from other countries and internal migrants, do not have an official ID number. “Health is a human right that no one can deny for any reason, including their nationality or immigration status,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, director of Amnesty International.
Mexico was the first country in Latin America to receive Covid-19 vaccines and began vaccinating health workers on December 22. However, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine detection, the rate has dropped to just 4,365 doses per day, and at the current rate, it will take a decade to vaccinate all Mexicans.
Mexican health officials expect more doses of Pfizer vaccine and 400,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine to arrive later this month, according to the Associated Press.
Health workers complained that administrators were vaccinated first. Questions were also raised about vaccinating teachers in the southern state of Campeche – where infections are low – so classes can start again.
Thousands of employees are also being vaccinated ahead of their participation in vaccination campaigns, causing the information campaigns to be a prop in campaigns for June’s midterm elections.
“There is no strategy,” said Xavier Tello, a medical analyst. “It was nothing more than a series of random plans.”
The website debacle coincides with an upbeat video by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (commonly referred to as “Amlo”) in which he said he tested negative for coronavirus 12 days after contracting the disease.
He uttered his usual uplifting message of hope and faith, along with promises to move past the worst of the pandemic.
“We continue to take care of ourselves and believe that we will not get sick anymore. And the most important thing is that we will save lives, “said the president.
‘This month we are going to vaccinate people massively, this month February. The same in March and April, ”he added.
López Obrador is expected to return to work on Monday. His Thursday message spoke of solidarity – “The tragedy makes us more fraternal, more generous, more loving”, he said – although he maintained his policy of meticulous sobriety throughout the pandemic.
In his message, López Obrador said: “We have no consumer crisis”, but restaurant owners and employees begged to differ. On Thursday, they smashed pots and pans outside their institutions to demand a stronger response from the government and the lifting of restrictions on indoor dining.
“It’s hard to maintain,” says Abel Hernández, chef and owner of two Mexico City restaurants. Eloise and Lorreta. “It’s been 11 months and we have had no government support.”