Ecuador’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign to begin
Ecuador will begin its COVID-19 vaccination campaign today.
Partnering with private sector health providers, Ecuador plans to vaccinate nine million people between March and September. The first Pfizer and BioNtech vaccines arriving today will be reserved for healthcare workers.
While Ecuador is experiencing a new spike in COVID-19 infections and increased stress on a healthcare system reaching full capacity, the government hopes that its 400 vaccine distribution centers will slow the advance of the virus. Issues with distribution logistics are likely to hamper the rapid delivery of vaccines. In the short-term, Ecuador has enormous challenges ahead, including an economic crisis and the hotly contested presidential elections in February.
Expect the election’s outcome to determine whether Ecuador will be able to mitigate the pandemic’s effects. Any new administration will be burdened with a slow and insufficient response by the current government, yet must achieve a rapid and effective vaccination campaign.
Among the sixteen presidential candidates, all pledged to achieve a massive vaccination push against COVID-19 by 2021. For instance, Andrés Arauz promised to bring millions of vaccines to the country and Guillermo Lasso proposed a consolidation of the health system as a top priority.
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