10:04 p.m. ET, January 27, 2021
Peru expects its first Covid-19 Sinopharm vaccines to arrive in the next few days
From CNN’s Claudia Rebaza in London
Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti announced that his government expects the first 1 million doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine to arrive in the next few days.
In a televised address Tuesday evening, Sagasti announced the country will start its vaccination plan in February with frontline health workers as the priority group.
The President also announced he will be among one the first people in the country to receive the vaccine.
The Peruvian government has also finalized two other agreements with Sinopharm for half a million doses in February and 1.5 million doses in March, Sagasti added.
Sagasti’s government has faced strong criticism for the delay in achieving vaccine agreements with different laboratories. Peru’s Foreign Minister Elizabeth Astete told Congress last week the country has negotiated 28 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
Peru has taken part in the Sinopharm vaccine’s clinical trials, however the vaccine has yet to be approved by Peruvian regulators.
New restrictions: Peru announced new lockdowns for 10 of its 25 regions, including the capital Lima, as Covid-19 cases rise and hospitals reach a breaking point. The lockdowns will start on January 31.
The country is also racing to address a shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds for Covid-19 patients,
Peru's President Francisco Sagasti, said during his address Tuesday.
"We expect to add another 350 (beds) in the next two weeks," he said.
An aggressive second wave has seen Peru pass 40,000 Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, according to data released by the country's Health Ministry. Infections are also spiraling -- with about 100,000 new cases recorded in the past month alone -- as officials warn of burned out doctors and overwhelmed intensive care wards.
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