Peru may have Covid-19 vaccine by early 2021

LIMA, Aug 25, 2020, ANDINA. Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Lopez estimates that Peru could have a COVID-19 vaccine by the beginning of next year, as a result of the negotiations conducted at the bilateral and multilateral levels so as to achieve that goal, ANDINA reported.

“I believe that the group of laboratories with which we are coordinating, both through clinical trials and anticipated purchases, will be determined by the beginning of next year, because we will get those answers, so I am confident that we will have the highly-expected vaccine by the beginning of next year,” he explained.

President Martin Vizcarra on Thursday reported that Peru is in talks with representatives of five laboratories from different parts of the world to make possible the acquisition of 30 million doses of vaccines against coronavirus.

Likewise, at the multilateral level, Peru participates in the global initiative promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) —the COVAX Facility— to secure 6 million doses in order to vaccinate 20% of the country’s population.

After saying that the WHO vaccine would cost between US$10 and US$12, Mr. Lopez noted that the procedures to prepare the Sinovac Laboratory (China) clinical trials, to be applied in 6 million Peruvians, will begin on Tuesday.

His remarks were made on Sunday night in an interview with Punto Final TV show.