In an interview on Sunday with Venezuelan journalist Ernesto Villegas, Minister of People’s Power for Health Carlos Alvarado highlighted that Venezuela has received more than 550 tons of medical supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to friendly, cooperation relations with allied countries such as Russia, China, and Cuba, international NGOs and the United Nations System (WHO, PAHO, UNICEF).
Alvarado explained that this provision has been managed through technical, humanitarian assistance and purchases or exchange mechanisms designed by the Bolivarian Government to avoid the restrictions and unilateral coercive measures imposed by the U.S. Government and its allies against the Venezuelan people.
Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, he said that Venezuela currently has three clearly defined options: the Sputnik V vaccine, whose phase 3 trials are underway in the country, the Chinese proposal, on which we are conducting negotiations to purchase it, and the Covax Fund, linked to the World Health Organization (WHO), but due to the U.S. blockade, resources have not been freed up to contribute to this multilateral mechanism.
The Venezuelan health minister said that Venezuela has not been able to contribute to the revolving fund of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), so it has not been able to procure vaccines for other diseases. Therefore, the South American country had to resort to a UNICEF donation and humanitarian assistance with the support of the PAHO to fight a measles and diphtheria outbreak, which was controlled early this year.
About the new strain of COVID-19 detected in the United Kingdom, Alvarado said that research is still underway, so the Presidential Commission for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 has strengthened measures such as PCR testing of travelers entering the country and preventative lockdown.
Alvarado also said that in 2021 the main measure against the pandemic is vaccination, estimated to start in April, so he urged the Venezuelan people to strictly follow the sanitary protocol (use of facemasks, social distancing) that has been established so far to prevent the disease.