Despite ally donations, few Venezuelans get COVID-19 vaccine

Some Venezuelans have gotten a shot in the arm thanks to a gift of Cuban-developed COVID-19 vaccines, bringing relief to some residents while simultaneously deepening the mystery around the country’s donation-dependent vaccination campaign

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Some Venezuelans got a COVID-19 shot this week thanks to a donation of Cuban-developed vaccines, bringing relief to some residents desperate to protect themselves while simultaneously deepening the mystery around the country’s donation-dependent vaccination campaign. Thirty-thousand shots of the three-dose Abdala vaccine entered Venezuela’s inoculation effort just days after Nicolás Maduro's government and Cuban authorities reached an agreement under which Havana is expected to deliver 12 million doses in the following months. That deal follows vaccine-donation agreements with other allies, but it remains unclear what the terms of the arrangements are, how many people have received a shot and how well priority groups are being respected. “If we look at the promises with the Russian and Chinese vaccines, there’s a lot of emphasis on the agreements and the numbers, and then the delivery of those vaccines and who gets what or in Venezuela becomes much more mysterious,” said Jacqueline Mazza, senior adjunct professor of Latin American studies at Johns Hopkins University. “Simply put, the numbers just aren’t there. When we put it together, we are still in the same position we are with the handling of the coronavirus in Venezuela: It’s all shrouded in mystery, and clearly, the figures that are not giving us the true story.” Venezuela began the first phase of its vaccination campaign in February by focusing on the health, law enforcement and education sectors. It expanded the effort in late May to anyone 60 years of age and older.