‘Vaccinegate’: Outrage in Peru after 500 top officials secure early Covid vaccines
Interim president says he is furious at attitude of ‘many public officials who took advantage of their position’
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Your support makes all the difference.Prosecutors in Peru have opened an investigation after nearly 500 officials took advantage of their positions to secretly receive early doses of China’s Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine.
The country’s interim president, Francisco Sagasti, said the names of 487 officials, which include the former ministers of foreign affairs and health, are being turned over to prosecutors looking into what local media have dubbed the “vaccinegate” scandal.
"These people who were part of our government failed to do their duty as public servants," Mr Sagasti said in a television broadcast on Monday. He said he was furious at the attitude of "many public officials who took advantage of their position."
The revelations have caused frustration among health workers and damaged the reputation of Peru’s former president, Martin Vizcarre, who confirmed he and two family members received vaccinations before he was removed by Congress in November over a corruption allegation.
The scandal has also forced the foreign minister, Elizabeth Astete, health minister, Pilar Mazzetti, and two vice ministers involved in fighting the coronavirus to step down.
On Sunday Ms Astete admitted in her resignation letter that she had secretly received the shot in late January, but added that she "I could not allow myself the luxury of falling ill,” a line that infuriated many Peruvians.
"They took advantage of their positions. It confirms that the priority wasn't for colleagues in the intensive care units who faced death 24 hours straight without even breaks for food," said Godofredo Talavera, president of the Peruvian medical federation.
"We understand (now) why they waited so long in buying the vaccines. There was no rush; they'd been vaccinated.”
Similarly, while Ms Mazzetti had almost come to be seen as a local heroine for her fight against the virus as health minister, many were shocked because her confession on Friday of receiving a shot came just days after she assured a conference with the president that she would be immunised only after “everyone working in the system is vaccinated”.
"The captain is the last to leave the ship. Those of us at the head of the institutions have to set an example to wait for our moment properly," Ms Mazzetti said.
Ms Astete authorised the purchase of 1 million Sinopharm vaccine doses on 7 January and received a shot herself two weeks later, revealing the news only after Mr Vizcarre confirmed a newspaper report saying he had received a shot in October along with his wife, Maribel Diaz. On Monday, he acknowledged a brother had also received a shot.
Additional reporting by AP
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