COVID-19 vaccination in Colombia

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COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Colombia
Native name Plan Nacional de Vacunación contra la Covid-19
Date17 February 2021 (2021-02-17) – present
CauseCOVID-19 pandemic
TargetImmunisation of Colombians against COVID-19
Organised byMinistry of Health of Colombia
Participants5,387,256 doses administered Pfizer–BioNTech, Sinovac, Oxford–AstraZeneca
(3 May 2021, 23:59 UTC–5)
1,859,657 total fully vaccinated people
(to which the first and second dose of vaccine were administered)
WebsiteVacunación contra COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccination program in Colombia is an ongoing effort of mass immunization put in place by the Colombian government in order to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 virus was confirmed to have reached Colombia on 6 March 2020.[1][2] Colombia's preparation and readiness for a vaccine program allowed it to join the first group of countries who received vaccines through COVAX.[3][4] The first vaccine in Colombia was given to a nurse on 17 February 2021.[5] As of 3 May 2021, 5,387,256 vaccine doses have been administered across the country, and 1,859,657 people have received two doses.[6]

Background[edit]

Purchase agreements[edit]

On 28 July 2020, Health Minister Fernando Ruiz stated in an interview with W Radio that Colombia had signed confidentiality agreements with two pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, for the acquisition of a vaccine for COVID-19, and that the country would seek agreements with at least three other companies.[7]

Clinical trials[edit]

On 24 August, Minister Ruiz confirmed the participation of Colombian volunteers in the Phase III trials of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine, developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The clinical trials were scheduled to take place within weeks, once the report on the previous stages of the vaccine was available. Ruiz added that a confidentiality agreement had already been signed.[8] On 7 October, the Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica began, with the application of the first dose to a volunteer in Floridablanca.[9] The trials of this vaccine were being carried out in 10 medical centers throughout the country. On 12 October, Johnson & Johnson announced it would briefly pause the trials after one volunteer became ill with "an unexplained disease".[10]

Vaccination schedule[edit]

After the Colombian government was promised 40 million doses from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, on 18 December 2020 the government announced a schedule for the vaccination program.[11] Mass vaccination was scheduled to begin in February 2021 and would be divided into five stages, with the goal of achieving herd immunity. In the first phase, the objective will be reducing mortality and severe case incidence rates from COVID-19, as well as protecting health workers. The second phase will be aimed at reducing infection rates. The government expects to vaccinate roughly 70% of the Colombian population, or 35.7 million people. People who have already suffered the disease will not be vaccinated, nor will children under 16 as vaccines have not yet been tested on that age group.[12]

Phases and stages of Colombian vaccination plan
Phase Stage Began Eligibility Population covered
1 1 17 February 2021 All front-line health and support workers, as well as people aged over 80, who are considered at highest risk. 1,525,911
2 15 March 2021[13] Health workers in second and third lines of attention, as well as people aged 60–79. 6,669,863
3 TBA People aged 16–60 with comorbidities, and all elementary and high school teachers. 4,728,724
2 4 TBA Institutional caregivers and population involved in risky occupations and situations. 184,188
5 TBA People aged 16–60 without comorbidities. 22,625,963

On 29 January 2021, President Iván Duque signed the decree for the National Plan of Vaccination which had been announced in December as the country's guideline for mass vaccination, and he announced that vaccinations in Colombia would begin on 20 February 2021.[14][15]

In an interview published 11 April 2021, Minister Ruiz said that progress was being made with the vaccination of people in their 70s. At that time, the goal was to vaccinate adults with comorbidities by mid-year and begin Phase 2 in the second half of 2021.[16] Vaccination of people over 65 began on 13 April,[17] and the minimum age was lowered to 60 on 30 April.[18]

Foreign residents[edit]

In December 2020, President Duque said that undocumented Venezuelan immigrants would not be eligible for a vaccine in Colombia since he expected that Venezuelans would "stampede the border" if that opportunity was presented to them.[19] The January 2021 decree specified that foreigners accredited on diplomatic or consular missions within Colombia would be eligible for a vaccine.[20] It was expected that other foreigners would also eventually be eligible.[21] In mid-April 2021, the U.S. Embassy website was updated to reflect that U.S. citizens had become eligible to receive the vaccine in Colombia.[22]

Beginning of vaccinations[edit]

On 15 February 2021, Minister Ruiz confirmed that an intensive care nurse from Sincelejo's University Hospital and another nurse from the National Cancerology Institute in Bogotá would be the first two people to be vaccinated in the country, on 17 February.[23] As planned, intensive care nurse Verónica Machado was the first to be vaccinated on the morning of 17 February, under widespread media coverage.[5]

Vaccines on order[edit]

As of 20 March 2021, Colombia had received 2,472,964 Sinovac doses, 400,242 Pfizer-BioNTech doses from bilateral agreements, and 117,000 additional Pfizer doses and 244,800 AstraZeneca doses through the COVAX strategy.[24]

Bilateral deals[edit]

Vaccine Progress Doses ordered Approval Deployment
Pfizer–BioNTech Phase III clinical trials 10 million Green check.svg 5 January 2021[25] Green check.svg 15 February 2021[26]
Sinovac Phase III clinical trials 2.5 million Green check.svg 3 February 2021[27] Green check.svg 20 February 2021[28]
Oxford–AstraZeneca Phase III clinical trials 10 million Green check.svg 23 February 2021[29] Green check.svg 20 March 2021[24]
Johnson & Johnson Phase III clinical trials 9 million Green check.svg 25 March 2021[30] Dark Red x.svg Pending
Moderna Phase III clinical trials 10 million Dark Red x.svg Pending Dark Red x.svg Pending

Multilateral mechanisms[edit]

Mechanism Doses ordered Approval Deployment
COVAX 20 million Green check.svg 22 September 2020[31] Green check.svg 1 March 2021[32]

Vaccines in trial stage[edit]

Vaccine Type (technology) Phase I Phase II Phase III
Johnson & Johnson Viral vector Green check.svg Completed Green check.svg Completed Green check.svg Completed
CureVac RNA Green check.svg Completed Green check.svg Completed In progress
Clover Subunit Green check.svg Completed In progress In progress

Deployment[edit]

On 29 January, Duque confirmed the purchase of 10 million doses from Moderna and 2.5 million doses from Sinovac. Along with 10 million doses from Pfizer–BioNTech, 10 million doses from Oxford–AstraZeneca, 9 million doses from Janssen, and 20 million doses through COVAX, the government expected to be able to cover the 34 million Colombians eligible for vaccination.[14]

On 15 February, the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech, containing 50,000 doses, arrived at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá where it was received by President Iván Duque, Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez, and Minister of Health Fernando Ruiz. Duque said that this first batch of vaccines will be destined for front-line health and support personnel, while also confirming that the Colombian government expected the arrival of 1,600,000 additional doses within the following 30 days.[26]

On 19 February, the Ministry of Health confirmed that at least 45,000 doses out of the first shipment of 192,000 doses of the vaccine by Sinovac, which were expected to arrive in the country the following day, would be sent to the municipalities of Leticia, Puerto Nariño, Mitú, and Inírida in the departments of Amazonas, Vaupés, and Guainía to immunize the entirety of the population aged over 18. Those three departments border Brazil, and the Colombian government's intent was to epidemiologically "blockade" the Brazilian variant and prevent its arrival in other areas of the country. This exceptional measure did not cover pregnant women nor people with a COVID-19 positive test result earlier than 90 days.[33] (The Pfizer vaccine is also effective against the Brazilian variant, according to a study published 8 March in the New England Journal of Medicine.)[34]

During the first two weeks of the vaccination program, 191,480 first doses were administered. Public health expert Luis Jorge Hernández said the distribution was operating under a scarcity mentality given that only 509,724 doses had arrived in Colombia (including the ones already administered), whereas the Health Ministry had expected to have 850,000 by that point.[35] Over the next month, an additional 3 million doses arrived. The former health minister Gabriel Riveros acknowledged that the vaccination program remained limited by this relatively low number.[36]

In the first days of April 2021, it was revealed that thousands of people over 70 in several regions and cities in the country, such as Cartagena, Barrancabermeja, and Cali had refused to be vaccinated upon finding out that the vaccine assigned to them was the one by Oxford–AstraZeneca as their relatives, caretakers or even themselves expressed concerns on the safety of the vaccine after events of blood clots after vaccination as well as the suspension of its rollout in some European countries became known. In Cartagena, it was reported that less than 1,000 doses out of a first shipment of 7,100 had been administered, while in Barrancabemeja only 400 out of 920 doses had been administered, and in Cali the rates of refusal of that specific vaccine were also higher than those of the other two manufacturers in distribution in the country (Pfizer–BioNTech and Sinovac).[37][38] Despite this, Minister of Health Fernando Ruiz has encouraged the administration of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, stating that thromboembolic events were found to happen in only one per million vaccinated people, a higher rate than in people consuming contraceptives at one per 10,000 people, as well as citing the recommendations issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to continue administering the vaccine, confirming that the vaccine's benefits still outweighed its potential risks.[39]

Support[edit]

Uber announced that, beginning 12 April, it would offer up to 25,000 free rides, valued at a maximum of COP 10,000 per ride, if they were taken to or from a vaccination center. Each person could request up to two rides through the app.[40]

Opinion polling[edit]

Before vaccinations began, a poll conducted from 9 November to 10 December 2020 by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) found that only half of Colombians wanted to be vaccinated against coronavirus. In Quibdó, 72 percent said they wanted the vaccine, but in Cali, only 43 percent wanted it. Among those who said they did not want the vaccine, most said they feared side effects.[41]

In Bogotá, a poll conducted 9–25 February 2021 found that 58% wanted to be vaccinated, 19% did not, and 23% were still unsure.[42]

Polls conducted between January and March 2021 in 23 cities, as analyzed by the Dane found that 76% of men and 70% of women wanted to be vaccinated.[43]

Progress[edit]

Cumulative vaccinations[edit]

Doses administered per day[edit]

Doses administered by department[edit]

As of 3 May 2021[6]
Department Population (est. 2021)[44] Doses administered
Flag of the Department of Amazonas Amazonas 80,464 55,131
Flag of the Department of Antioquia Antioquia 6,782,584 787,131
Flag of the Department of Arauca Arauca 301,270 16,869
Flag of the Department of Atlántico Atlántico[a] 2,771,139 312,759
Flag of Bogotá Bogotá D.C. 7,834,167 1,054,031
Flag of the Department of Bolívar Bolívar[b] 2,213,061 220,852
Flag of the Department of Boyacá Boyacá 1,251,675 158,820
Flag of the Department of Caldas Caldas 1,027,314 118,051
Flag of the Department of Caquetá Caquetá 414,841 31,142
Flag of the Department of Casanare Casanare 439,238 33,860
Flag of the Department of Cauca Cauca 1,504,044 87,078
Flag of the Department of Cesar Cesar 1,322,466 97,423
Flag of the Department of Chocó Chocó 549,225 22,641
Flag of the Department of Córdoba Córdoba 1,844,076 145,693
Flag of the Department of Cundinamarca Cundinamarca 3,372,221 321,108
Flag of the Department of Guainía Guainía 51,450 17,718
Flag of the Department of Guaviare Guaviare 88,490 3,842
Flag of the Department of Huila Huila 1,131,934 98,990
Flag of La Guajira La Guajira 987,781 56,305
Flag of the Department of Magdalena Magdalena[c] 1,449,087 112,738
Flag of the Department of Meta Meta 1,072,412 75,421
Flag of the Department of Nariño Nariño 1,627,386 153,697
Flag of the Department of Norte de Santander Norte de Santander 1,642,746 139,911
Flag of the Department of Putumayo Putumayo 364,085 18,079
Flag of the Department of Quindío Quindío 562,177 81,992
Flag of the Department of Risaralda Risaralda 968,626 123,651
Flag of the Department of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina San Andrés 64,672 8,385
Flag of the Department of Santander Santander 2,306,455 256,450
Flag of the Department of Sucre Sucre 962,457 87,748
Flag of the Department of Tolima Tolima 1,343,898 160,948
Flag of the Department of Valle del Cauca Valle del Cauca[d] 4,556,752 512,209
Flag of the Department of Vaupés Vaupés 46,808 13,996
Flag of the Department of Vichada Vichada 114,557 2,587
 Colombia 51,049,498 5,387,256
  1. ^ Including Barranquilla.
  2. ^ Including Cartagena.
  3. ^ Including Santa Marta.
  4. ^ Including Buenaventura.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Colombia confirms its first case of coronavirus". Reuters. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Colombia confirma su primer caso de COVID-19". minsalud.gov.co. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Colombia recibirá vacunas contra covid-19 en febrero". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 21 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  4. ^ "'Colombia está en grupo de elegibles que recibirá vacuna en febrero'". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 20 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  5. ^ a b "¡Empezó la vacunación! Verónica Machado recibió la primera dosis". El Tiempo. 17 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Vacunación contra COVID-19". Ministry of Health of Colombia. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Colombia firmó acuerdos de confidencialidad para obtener vacuna contra covid-19" (in Spanish). El País. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Probarán en voluntarios colombianos vacuna experimental para covid-19" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 24 August 2020.
  9. ^ "En Floridablanca inició aplicación de ensayos de la vacuna covid-19" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Johnson & Johnson pausa ensayo de vacuna que prueba en Colombia" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Colombia asegura 40 millones de vacunas contra la covid-19". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 19 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  12. ^ "¿Cuándo podrá vacunarse? Conozca las fases y quiénes tendrán prioridad". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 19 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Resolución Número 327 de 2021" (PDF). Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Gobierno definió fecha de inicio de vacunación y compra de más dosis" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 29 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Decreto No. 109 de 2021" (PDF). Presidencia de la República de Colombia. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Llegar a 250.000 dosis diarias no depende solo del Gobierno: Minsalud". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  17. ^ "Desde hoy empezará agendamiento para vacunación de 65 a 69 años". Minsalud. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  18. ^ Emblin, Richard (2021-05-01). "Colombia extends vaccine coverage to persons age 60 and over". The City Paper Bogotá. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  19. ^ Ebus, Bram (2021-03-10). "Vaccines may elude Venezuelan migrants in Colombia". The New Humanitarian. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  20. ^ Health Ministry (29 January 2021). "Decreto No 109 de 2021". Mi Vacuna (Colombian government). p. 12. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  21. ^ Newbery, Emma (2021-02-18). "Colombia begins its COVID-19 vaccination". The Bogotá Post. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  22. ^ "COVID-19 Information". U.S. Embassy in Colombia. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Enfermera de Sincelejo recibirá la primera vacuna en Colombia" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 15 February 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Llegaron al país 244.800 dosis de vacuna de AstraZeneca y 774.320 de la de Sinovac". El Pais. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  25. ^ "Los detalles de la aprobación de la vacuna de Pfizer en Colombia". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 6 January 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  26. ^ a b "Llegaron a Colombia las primeras 50.000 dosis de vacunas contra covid-19". Infobae (in Spanish). 15 February 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  27. ^ MENAFN. "Colombia declares emergency use of Sinovac vaccines". menafn.com. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Primeras vacunas de Sinovac llegarán el 20 de febrero" (in Spanish). Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Invima autorizó el uso de emergencia de la vacuna de AstraZeneca en Colombia". W Radio (in Spanish). 23 February 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  30. ^ "Invima aprobó uso de la vacuna contra el covid-19 de Janssen". El País (in Spanish). 25 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  31. ^ "Colombia suscribe acuerdo formal para el mecanismo COVAX" (in Spanish). Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  32. ^ "La iniciativa Covax debuta en América Latina con 117.000 vacunas para Colombia" (in Spanish). El País. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  33. ^ "Enviarán 45.000 vacunas chinas al Amazonas y a la frontera con Brasil". El Tiempo. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  34. ^ Cunningham, Erin (9 March 2021). "Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine neutralizes Brazil variant in lab study as experts warn of rapid spread". Washington Post. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  35. ^ "Expertos piden acelerar el Plan Nacional de Vacunación". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 3 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  36. ^ "Vacunación se redujo a una tercera parte en el puente de Semana Santa". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 5 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  37. ^ "La preocupante negativa a ponerse la vacuna de AstraZeneca en regiones". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 8 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  38. ^ ""Tenemos un porcentaje alto de rechazo a la vacuna de AstraZeneca": Alcaldía de Cali". Semana (in Spanish). 9 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Con cifras en mano, MinSalud afirma que el riesgo de la vacuna AstraZeneca "es muy bajo"". Infobae (in Spanish). 10 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  40. ^ "Uber ofrece viajes gratis a quienes se vayan a vacunar en Colombia". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  41. ^ Unidad de Salud (25 December 2020). "Solo la mitad de los colombianos se pondría la vacuna contra covid-19". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  42. ^ "1 de cada 3 bogotanos, satisfecho con la gestión de la alcaldía". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  43. ^ "El 72,2 por ciento de los colombianos se vacunaría contra el covid-19". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  44. ^ "PROYECCIONES DE POBLACIÓN A NIVEL DEPARTAMENTAL. PERIODO 2018 - 2050". DANE. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
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