The Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) that Nicaragua has already vaccinated 2.3 million people with the complete dose schedule against covid-19, which represents 34.6% of the total population, according to the latest update published on December 1.
This number of vaccinated represents an increase of 280% compared to the figure reported on November 5, when they reported that a total of 494,269 people had completed their scheme and therefore vaccination coverage was 7.3%. the second lowest on the continent.
Although this figure shows a great advance in the vaccination coverage of Nicaragua, accelerated with the arrival of 9.9 million doses between September and November, it does not agree with the percentage of vaccination that the Government of Daniel Ortega ensures.
“We have practically 64% of the total population that has been vaccinated. They have voluntarily been vaccinated, and now that we are in these house-to-house days, they have agreed to be vaccinated (…) Almost 4,100,000 people have been vaccinated so far ”, said the vice president and state spokeswoman, Rosario Murillo, this Wednesday.
However, the Nicaraguan authorities do not provide further details on the number of doses, broken down by type of dose (first, second or third), of vaccines (Sputnik V, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Soberana 02, Abdala) that allow to corroborate this percentage or know which population groups and from which regions are protected against covid-19.
60% of the population is partially vaccinated
The vaccination figure that is closest to the percentage of coverage that the Nicaraguan Government ensures is the number of people who have already received their first dose and are partially vaccinated.
According to OPS data, until December 1, the Ministry of Health has already applied 6,376,188 doses (it is not known which vaccines), and of these 4,053,890 are first doses and 2,322,298 are second doses. That is, 60.4% of the population already has a dose, but must still complete their schedule depending on whether they received one or two-dose vaccines.
Likewise, the Minsa has been applying since November 8 booster doses with AstraZeneca and Sputnik Light, to people who completed their scheme with Covishield and Sputnik V before July. However, the Ministry of Health has not informed PAHO about the doses applied to this group.
Nicaragua began to share – at the national level – statistics on vaccination since October 25, when vaccination was extended to children, adolescents and those under 30 years of age. However, from the first report, it showed a discrepancy between the data disclosed at the national level and those shared with PAHO.
In the national report, they assured that in the first hours of the first day of vaccination to children and adolescents they applied 50,048 doses of the Cuban vaccines Abdala and Soberana 02 and to PAHO they reported 11,191 doses applied until November 5.
It is unknown how many doses have been applied since then because in the last two updates on vaccination coverage, published on November 24 and December 1, PAHO no longer broke down the doses applied in Nicaragua by type of vaccine, how it had been doing it. .
The Minsa was able to accelerate vaccination after more than seven months of delay by opening more than a thousand vaccination posts, appointed medical brigades that apply the doses from house to house, and had positions at health fairs and markets. This occurred after the massive arrival of vaccines and prior to the November 7 elections.
According to official information, Nicaragua has 10.8 million vaccines against covid-19. Of this sum, 30.52% correspond to donations, mainly from Spain, and the remaining 69.48% are direct purchases that the regime made to Russia and Cuba, which are not approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). The largest number of vaccines currently available are single-dose Sputnik Light.
In Central America, Nicaragua now ranks as the second country with the least vaccination coverage per inhabitant. Panama is in the lead with 62.81%, followed by Costa Rica with 62.56%, El Salvador with 62.17% and Belize with 47.58%. Meanwhile, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala are below 35%.
