Senior Argentinian officials revealed recently that the South American nation is expected to amend existing legislation in order to enable the government to accept COVID-19 vaccines that are to be donated by the United States. Some of the legal clauses that are expected to change include those pertaining to negligence as well as a reference to “fraudulent maneuvers”. The wording around the creation of a fund to compensate recipients who have been harmed by the vaccine has also been altered.
Prior to alteration, the above-mentioned clauses imposed great barriers for vaccine makers who attempted to negotiate vaccine sales with Argentina. These include the likes of leading pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc as well as vaccines supplied via the WHO/Gavi-led COVAX program.
Health Minister Carla Vizzotti announced on Friday that “this regulation will facilitate and favor the possibility of accessing more vaccines.” This includes vaccine donations from countries such as the United States, which has already announced vaccine donations to the South American nations of Columbia and Peru.
To date, Argentina has administered some 21.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with approximately 4.3 million of its citizens having already been fully inoculated. The nation’s total population is 45 million people.
