President of argentina Alberto Fernández announced Saturday he tested positive for COVID-19.
Of importance: Fernández received his first dose of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on January 21 and the second on February 11, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- The president’s doctor, Federico Saavedra, said in a statement released to the media: “The clinical picture is mild due in large part to the protective effect of the vaccine received”.
For registration: Last December, Argentina became the first country outside Russia to start vaccinating people with the Sputnik V vaccine.
- A peer-reviewed analysis of a large clinical trial published in February revealed that the vaccine has shown almost 92% effectiveness against symptomatic cases of COVID-19.
- Two studies published last month found that fully vaccinated people can still contract the virus, although it is very rare.
By the numbers: Argentine health officials administered single doses of the coronavirus vaccine to about 7% of the population of 45 million and 1.5% received both injections, according to the WSJ.
The big picture: COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Argentina, which reported more than 82,100 cases last week, according to Johns Hopkins.
- The Argentine government last week suspended flights from Brazil, Mexico and Chile in an attempt to prevent the entry of variants of the coronavirus into the country.