Argentina surpasses 50,000 coronavirus deaths

By Bala Chambers

LONDON (AA) - Argentina has surpassed 50,000 COVID-19 deaths with over 2 million confirmed cases, according to the Ministry of Health on Friday.

The ministry's death toll now stands at 50,029 deaths.

Argentina registered its first case on March 3, 2020, after a 43-year old man who arrived in the country following a two-week vacation in northern Italy.

On March 7, the ministry confirmed the first coronavirus death, a 64-year-old man who had travelled to Paris and had other health conditions. In response to the disease, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez implemented a strict lockdown on March 20.

He acknowledged there would be economic consequences for a country already experiencing a deep economic recession.

However, Fernandez insisted on the priority of saving lives over protecting the economy from the coronavirus impact.

“Faced with the dilemma of preserving the economy or life, we do not hesitate - we choose life,” he said.

The capital of Buenos Aires and surrounding areas were hard-hit with COVID-19 initially, although the virus spread across the nation, impacting areas with fewer resources, ICU units and health professionals hardest.

Argentina experienced one of the longest coronavirus-lockdowns worldwide.

Close to half of Buenos Aires households lost income, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses of Argentina (INDEC).

On Nov. 6, the government announced the end of the lockdown in Buenos Aires, despite restrictions in some provinces.

In its vaccine response, Argentina has largely relied on Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, receiving its first shipment towards the end of December 2020.

To date, Argentina has received three shipments from Moscow, around 820,000 doses in total.

On the ground in response to combating COVID-19, Argentina has been prioritizing the vaccination of front-line health professionals while distributing vaccines nationwide.

In January 2021, it approved Sputnik V for use in people over 60 years old alongside younger age groups.

Both Fernandez and Vice-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner were vaccinated with their first of two doses of Sputnik V in January.

Nevertheless, the shipments have fallen short with the Argentine government having been promised 5 million doses by the end of January 2021.

On Feb. 2, Argentina requested help from Russia to ensure the enough supply of vaccines to the country.

In addition to Sputnik V, Argentina is set to receive further doses from the UN's Covax initiative and from both AstraZeneca and Oxford University after reaching a deal.

On Feb. 9, Argentine health minister signed an emergency decree for the use of Indian-made Covishield vaccine, which can be kept at regular temperatures unlike Sputnik V.

Around 11 months after the first case, Argentina, with a population close to 45 million is ranked 12th worldwide for number of COVID-19 cases.