The Diplomat in Spain

The Diplomat

The Spanish government yesterday delivered 101,760 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Ecuador as part of the COVAX mechanism, through which vaccines will soon be sent to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Paraguay, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Suriname.

Spain is thus speeding up its vaccine deliveries to Latin America and the Caribbean, where Spain is the European Union’s main donor, according to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The shipments are in addition to the donations of vaccines already made in July to Peru, Guatemala, Paraguay and Nicaragua. All these donations take place under the agreement signed between AstraZeneca, COVAX and Spain.

The department headed by José Manuel Albares also indicates that Spain is expected to deliver around six million vaccines to the region over the summer.

The beneficiary states have been selected by COVAX on the basis of the epidemiological needs of the countries in the region, according to the criteria of the Pan American Health Organisation.

The Government of Spain has committed to donate a total of 22.5 million of the vaccines authorised in the European Union and used in Spain, of which at least 7.5 million will be destined for Ibero-American countries.

Spain, through the joint and coordinated work of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health, carries out these vaccine donations in close coordination with the EU and its Member States in the framework of Team Europe, which so far have contributed almost 3 billion euros to COVAX and have committed to donating 200 million doses. The mechanism aims to immunise at least 20 per cent of the population of the 190 member nations by the end of the year.