Uruguay prepares to launch COVID-19 vaccination scheme as China jabs arrive

Uruguay plans to start executing a COVID-19 vaccination plan on March 1.

Authorities received on Thursday a bulk shipment of vaccines. Officials took delivery of 192,000 doses of Chinese jab Sinovac. A further shipment, of 1.56mn, is due March 15, the office of the president said in a statement.

The South American nation of around 3.5mn people has won praise for its handling of the pandemic.

As of Thursday, Uruguay had 6,604 active cases, with 61 people in intensive care. So far 595 people have died in Uruguay from COVID-19. Officials registered 825 new cases on Thursday after conducting more than 7,000 tests.

On Friday, President Luis Lacalle Pou met with China’s ambassador to the beef and pulp-exporting nation, Wang Geng, who branded it “a special day in the annals of bilateral relations.”

Latin America’s six biggest economies – Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru – have already begun vaccinating their populations. Colombia was the last to start, launching its program earlier this month.

Successfully vaccinating populations is seen as key to recovery efforts in the region, which has suffered a brutal economic impact due to the pandemic.

Pictured: Luis Lacalle Pou (left) meets with Wang Geng. CREDIT: Office of the Uruguayan president