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By Maria Cervantes
SANTIAGO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Peru has secured enough
coronavirus vaccine to give nearly three-quarters of its
population at least one dose when the immunization is available,
a hopeful development for a nation with one of the highest
COVID-19 death rates in the world.
The agreements announced on Friday with Pfizer Inc
and global vaccine distribution program COVAX will provide 23.1
million doses for a population of 31.9 million. Some vaccine
regimes will require two doses.
The Peruvian Ministry of Health said it had signed a binding
agreement with Pfizer for the purchase of 9.9 million doses of
its vaccine which is in testing. Another 13.2 million doses will
be bought through COVAX, which is led by the GAVI vaccines
alliance and the World Health Organization and aimed at
promoting equitable access.
COVAX has signed agreements to buy vaccines from French
drugmaker Sanofi, Britain's GlaxoSmithKline,
AstraZeneca and Novavax.
The ministry added in a statement that it was negotiating
with other vaccine laboratories. These include China's Sinopharm
Group Co Ltd and Sinovac Biotech Inc, Moderna
Inc, Novovax, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca
and COVAXX, a unit of United Biomedical Inc and Gamaleya, the
institute that developing Russia’s main coronavirus vaccine
candidate Sputnik V.
So far, the Peruvian government has signed confidential
agreements with 13 pharmaceutical companies and non-binding
agreements with 10 of those, the ministry added.
Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti said this week that she
expects vaccines to arrive in Peru in the first quarter of 2021
before general elections on April 11, and vaccines will likely
be administered in voting centers.
China's Sinopharm and the United States' Johnson & Johnson
are conducting trials of their vaccines in the country,
potentially allowing Peru to buy doses at a discount, the
ministry of health said.
Peru has seen 111.55 deaths per 100,000 of its population,
ranking third in the world for per capita mortality, according
to a Reuters tally.
(Reporting by Maria Cervantes, writing by Aislinn Laing;
Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
