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(Adds comment from Peru's president)
By Marco Aquino
LIMA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Peru launched its COVID-19
vaccination campaign on Tuesday with newly arrived doses of
China's Sinopharm vaccine, as the South American
country struggles to control a fierce second wave of infections
that has forced a lockdown in the capital, Lima.
Health officials kicked off the program in the intensive
care unit of Lima's Arzobispo Loayza Hospital, authorities said,
where medical staff were slated to receive the first of 300,000
doses delivered on Sunday by Sinopharm Group Co Ltd.
Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti was vaccinated later in
the day and urged vaccine skeptics to get inoculated. A survey
by Ipsos Peru last month showed 48% of Peruvians would refuse to
be vaccinated, citing fears of side effects.
"Do not be afraid of the vaccine. The vaccine is the best
shield," Sagasti said in a brief speech shortly before receiving
his shot at a military hospital.
"We are betting as much as possible that all Peruvians can
be vaccinated this year," he added.
Coronavirus infections have spiked in Peru this year,
bringing hospitals and the country's ailing healthcare system to
the brink of collapse. Authorities have detected both the
Brazilian and British variants of the virus, officials said.
Peru, which was mired in a political crisis last year,
initially lagged behind its wealthier neighbors in locking down
COVID-19 vaccine deals.
The Andean nation has since signed agreements with
U.S.-based Pfizer Inc, British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca
and Sinopharm, and is also slated to receive vaccines
through the World Health Organization's COVAX program.
The country plans to begin immediately inoculating a
million health officials, police and military personnel, among
others, the government said, in a first round of vaccinations
that will likely run through March.
Peru will then vaccinate 5.3 million elderly people, those
suffering from pre-existing conditions and its native
communities.
Peru's deal with Sinopharm guarantees the country 38 million
doses. A fresh batch of 700,000 doses is expected to arrive on
Sunday, health officials said.
Peru has tallied almost 1.2 million cases of COVID-19 and
42,400 deaths.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Reuters TV; Writing by Dave
Sherwood; Editing by Paul Simao and Peter Cooney)
