Colombia will formalize its entry into ‘Covax’ to acquire a possible vaccine against covid-19

During this week, Colombia will formalize its entry into the global initiative called ‘Covax’ for the acquisition of vaccines against covid-19. This was explained by Minister Fernando Ruiz during the ‘Prevention and Action’ program that has been broadcast daily since the health emergency began in the country due to the pandemic.

“After meetings, consultations with the academy, with the unions, with the scientific societies and with the different government instances, both in the health sector and in other sectors, the decision was made to become part of the Covax mechanism,” he said. the head of the Health portfolio.

Ruiz explained that 89 countries participate in this mechanism for joint purchases of nine vaccines from projects under development. These are the most advanced projects and the best known brands of vaccines in the world.

“Colombia made this first decision to acquire more than 10 million doses in the quest to essentially vaccinate our priority population, which are populations over 60 years of age, people with comorbidities and health workers,” he added.

In turn, President Iván Duque said that this mechanism will make it possible to separate and acquire potential vaccines and have pre-guaranteed access to products with the most potential.

“It is a kind of insurance that our country acquires alongside other nations of the world in a coalition that calls upon many producers and that will allow us to have the preparation to have access to a potential and eventual vaccine,” he said.

The Covax mechanism is part of the international device created by the UN to accelerate equal access to tools to combat covid-19.

The WHO and its partners will now begin to sign formal agreements with vaccine manufacturers to obtain the necessary doses “to end the acute phase of the pandemic by the end of 2021,” the organization itself indicated.

“Our goal is to have 2 billion doses of vaccine available by the end of 2021. We are encouraged to see a large number of countries commit to the Covax mechanism,” said CEO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

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