Vaccination in Latin America, George Floyd’s trial and more news

Argentina will produce Sputnik V vaccines

The Russian Sovereign Fund for Direct Investment announced that the Argentine pharmaceutical company Richmond and the Russian government reached an agreement for the Latin American country to be the first in the region to produce this drug.

Kirill Dmitriev, executive director of RDIF explained that with the agreement with the Argentine laboratory, the vaccine may be distributed, not only in the southern country, but also in other countries (partners) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Argentina expects to start producing about a million doses of Sputnik V per month during the first year, and after the construction of a plant, to reach 5 million doses per month. Richmond received technical and financial support (a loan of $ 300,000) from the government.

Colombia: Government approves purchase of COVID vaccines by private parties

President Iván Duque announced this week that private parties who so wish may agree to purchase vaccines with pharmaceutical companies. However, after the purchase, the administration of these drugs by the companies that purchase them must be free and comply with the protocol and the vaccination program announced by the National Government. This means: prioritizing the vulnerable population, having health authorization and not interfering with, or using resources or personnel that are being used by the Government.

Despite this announcement, pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer announced that they will not sell vaccines to private parties, while there is a global emergency. Colombia estimates to vaccinate a total of 35.2 million citizens before 2022, approximately 70% of the population.

PAHO alerts for sale of fake covid vaccines

Latin American health entities are on alert after the Pan American Health Organization warned of the sale of fake vaccines against the coronavirus in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

According to the entity, "illegal markets offer vaccines that are probably counterfeit, they are not the real vaccine, or perhaps they are being stolen from a health center and no one can ensure that they are stored correctly," said Jarbas Barbosa, deputy director of PAHO for the AFP agency.

Also read: How viable is AMLO's proposal to plant trees to stop the migration crisis?

US: former police officer implicated in George Floyd's death found guilty

Derek Chauvin, one of the police officers charged in the death of African American George Floyd, was unanimously found guilty on 3 counts of murder by a Minneapolis city jury.

Chauvin must answer for second-degree and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. The sentence will be handed down by the judge in the next 8 weeks.

Venezuela: Venezuelan justice orders the newspaper El Nacional to pay US $ 13.6 million to Diosdado Cabello

The Venezuelan judiciary declared the media guilty of "moral damage" to the deputy  Diosdado Cabellos and ordered him to pay a sum of more than 13 million dollars.

The lawsuit was filed after the newspaper, critical of the Government, replicated a report from the newspaper ABC of Spain, in which they indicate that Cabello is being investigated by the US justice for alleged links with drug trafficking.