![]() ![]() Ecuador went from being one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic to becoming an example for the world. This has been the largest social mobilization in Ecuador's history."Īccording to Our World Data, in July and August, Ecuador had one of the world's highest daily rates of vaccine doses administered for every 100 people.Įcuador also worked with multilateral organizations, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and United Nations organizations such as UNICEF, WHO/PAHO and UNHCR, whose experience, coupled with the government's determination to achieve coordinated targets, resulted in an effective, rapid vaccination campaign.Īdrian Díaz, the PAHO/WHO representative in Ecuador, shared that "During ongoing weekly meetings, aid workers and the Ministry of Public Health share information on plan implementation, identify critical issues that arise and develop responses and solutions to advance the objectives and targets of COVID-19 vaccination efforts."ĭuring the first week of September, the government announced that it had met the target of vaccinating 9 million people in 100 days. "The Armed Forces were key for reaching remote areas, and private enterprises made their logistical capacity available, as did universities, unions, local governments and the entire ministerial cabinet. "We managed to unite everyone around a single goal: to save lives," said Ecuadorian Health Minister Ximena Garzón. Through "vaccination days," Ecuador increased daily vaccinations from 80,000 to 414,000. It also worked with 3,100 private companies, universities, armed and security forces, firefighters, the Red Cross and local governments to coordinate activities. The government deployed 1,700 health brigades and opened 520 vaccination centers throughout the country. The United States, China, Canada, Spain and Chile, among others, responded in solidarity to Ecuador's call for help in procuring vaccines. The Ecuadorian government invested an estimated US$ 320 million in vaccines from different laboratories, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca Sinovac and CanSino. To achieve this, it engaged in "vaccine diplomacy," obtaining a variety of vaccines through multiple channels to meet needs. The Ecuadorian government set an ambitious target: vaccinate 9 million people in just 100 days. A week after taking office, he presented an ambitious vaccination plan, which many believed would be impossible to achieve. The pace of vaccination rose dramatically with the incoming administration of President Guillermo Lasso. ![]() Nevertheless, vaccination rates remained low.īetween January and May 2021, the government delivered 2.5 million doses and guaranteed the arrival of more large shipments. The Ecuadorian government appealed to private universities and other institutions to support the process. Some vaccination centers experienced overcrowding and people had to wait hours to receive their vaccine. Ecuador did not begin vaccinating its population until mid-March 2021, targetting specific priority groups, such as healthcare workers, security personnel and the elderly.ĭuring those early months, the immunization process suffered several setbacks. On December 8, 2020, the United Kingdom became the first country to administer the vaccine. Therefore, it was even more remarkable that Ecuador became a leader in vaccination rates. Large city hospitals were overburdened, and the lack of testing impeded authorities from tracking infections or explaining the unusual increase in deaths compared to annual averages.Įcuador was entirely at the mercy of COVID-19: by late 2020, the country had recorded over 200,000 cases and 14,000 deaths, appalling figures for a country of just 17 million. The months that followed were not encouraging. They were of people who had collapsed as they struggled to breathe, or of those who had died in their homes and whose relatives had placed their bodies on the sidewalks in the hope that the authorities would take charge of the situation. The true horror began when bodies began to appear on the streets. Ecuador’s second-largest city, Guayaquil, was hit particularly hard. Just a few weeks later, Ecuador rapidly became a country with one of the world’s highest rates of infections and deaths. The announcement marked Ecuador as the 55th country in the world to report a case of the deadly disease. An elderly lady had returned from travel abroad with the virus 15 days earlier. The year 2020 was a leap year, and it was on that extra day, February 29, that the Ecuadorian government officially announced the first known case of COVID-19 infection in the country. ![]()
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