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News > Peru

Peru: Chancellor Resigns Due to a COVID-19 Vaccination Scandal

  • Elizabeth Astete, Lima, Peru, Feb. 14, 2021

    Elizabeth Astete, Lima, Peru, Feb. 14, 2021 | Photo: Twitter/ @qtf

Published 15 February 2021
Opinion

President Sagasti accepted her resignation after she admitted having received the first dose on Jan. 22, 2021.

Peru's Foreign Affairs Minister Elizabeth Astete on Sunday resigned from her post after it was known that she had been vaccinated. She is not, however, in the groups at risk that should receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

RELATED:

Peru: Health Minister Resigns After Vizcarra's Vaccination

President Francisco Sagasti accepted her resignation after she admitted having received the first dose on Jan. 22, 2021.

"I am outraged and furious about this situation, which jeopardizes the enormous effort of so many Peruvianswho work in the frontline against COVID-19," the President said.

Health Minister Oscar Ugarte has ordered a summary investigation to define the secret vaccination of high-level officials. He also announced that the National Health Institute must inform the President on the use of 2,000 vaccines sent by the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm to carry out clinical trials. 

The scandal came up when former President Martin Vizcarra claimed that he and his wife had been volunteers in clinical trials during his presidency, which is denied by the Cayetano Heredia University's Clinical Studies Center.

This information prompted the resignation of former Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti, who denied having any information about Vizcarra's case.

Peru started the vaccination campaign on Feb. 9, 2021, after receiving the first 300,000 doses from Sinopharm. As of Monday, the country had reported over 1.2 million COVID-19 cases and 43,703 related deaths. 

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