Ecuador speeds up vaccination against COVID-19 with Chinese Sinovac vaccine

QUITO, July 16 (Xinhua) -- "The vaccine offers hope," Maria Utreras, a housewife aged 63 from Ecuador, said when waiting outside a vaccination center to get the second dose of China's Sinovac vaccine againt COVID-19.

The fact that China developed the vaccine gave her assurance, she said, "because it is a fairly advanced country. You have to have confidence, that's all." She presented no adverse reactions or discomfort following her first dose.

At the Pichincha Provincial Council Vaccination Center, one of the largest in southern Quito, hundreds of people lined up outside to get vaccinated.

Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health this week kicked its COVID-19 vaccination campaign into high gear with CoronaVac, a vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, after a shipment arrived in the South American country last weekend.

"Vaccination is the first step to reactivating our country's economy, that is why it is everyone's responsibility to participate and be part of the (immunization) plan," Ximena Garzon, health minister said in a video posted to Twitter.

The vaccines provided by Sinovac, Ecuador's main supplier, were distributed on Monday to vaccination centers in the capital Quito, the epicenter of the pandemic in Ecuador, to bolster the immunization drive, according to the ministry.

Tito Lopez, a 55-year-old Quito resident, said he was eager to receive the first dose of CoronaVac as a step toward returning to normal social and economic activities. Since the onset of the pandemic, he had to suspend his work in organizing events.

"I think it's great that vaccines have arrived in the country. It's really somewhat amazing that we expedited this so that more people can get vaccinated to restart activities in the coming months," said Lopez, adding that he had not expected to be vaccinated so soon.

He also expressed confidence in the Chinese vaccines, saying "all vaccines are safe, and like all types of vaccines, we have to wait for the body to generate immunity and for us to move forward and reactivate ourselves."

Paul Leon, a 50-year-old car salesman with a chronic disease, said that receiving the second dose of CoronaVac made him feel less anxious about his daily activities, albeit maintaining social distancing.

Leon praised the government's decision to speed up vaccination by buying more vaccines, including from China, a country that in his opinion is a strategic partner in the field of health.

Ecuador has registered over 470,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and about 21,800 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

With more than 17 million inhabitants, the country maintains its border-crossings closed to stop the spread of the virus.