Argentina health chief asked to resign after VIP vaccine access

Scandal surfaced after a veteran journalist said he had received a jab after speaking directly with Minister of Health Gines Gonzalez Garcia.

Argentina’s president has sought the resignation of Minister of Health Gines Gonzalez Garcia, two sources in the presidency said on Friday, after media reports that people had been able to use connections to get access to COVID-19 vaccines. The scandal, which emerged after a veteran journalist said he had received a jab after speaking directly with the minister, threw a spotlight on wider fears in the region about corruption and access to vaccines, which are in short supply. The two sources in the president’s office confirmed to the Reuters news agency the reports that the president had sought Garcia’s resignation.