Chile receives fourth batch of Chinese Sinovac vaccines against COVID-19

SANTIAGO -- Representatives of the Chilean government on Friday received a fourth shipment of vaccines from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac to continue the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three previous shipments of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine arrived in the South American country on Jan. 28, Jan. 31, and Feb. 25 respectively.

The new vaccines "will allow us to continue with the vaccination schedule that we have set ourselves, and also ensure the second doses," which will begin to be administered in March, Chile's Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza told reporters at Santiago's airport, where she oversaw the delivery of the shipment.

"We are very proud of these doses with which Chile has been able to vaccinate more than 3.2 million people" due to a joint effort that began a year ago to ensure vaccines can reach all regions of the country in a timely manner, Daza said.

The mass vaccination program aims to "achieve the immunity of the population," Daza said.

This week, people over 65 years old were vaccinated in various parts of the country, along with dialysis patients and those with transplants, and teachers aged 40 and over.

The Sinovac vaccines were approved for emergency use on Jan. 20 by Chile's Institute of Public Health.

Chile's mass vaccination drive began on Feb. 3, with a goal of immunizing 5 million people in high-risk groups in the first three months of the year, and another 15 million people by midyear.