Paraguay struggling to keep up with neighbors in vaccination push

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For the best part of 2020, Paraguay managed to avoid collapse while the coronavirus ravaged much of South America. But the country has now been mired in pandemic hell for months, with ICU occupancy rates over 100 percent since March.

Paraguay has fully vaccinated just 1.5 percent of its population so far, ranking it far behind its neighbors.

“The country still has a very high level of community transmission. Forecasts are quite bleak for this month, and probably for part of July as well,” said Paraguay’s Health Surveillance Director Guillermo Sequera.

Coronavirus deaths are still rising. Covid-19 became the main cause of maternal deaths in June, and over 30 percent of intensive care patients do not survive.

In March, thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand the resignation of President Mario Abdo Benítez. The opposition in Congress tried to oust him, but failed to whip enough votes.

Gustavo Ribeiro

An award-winning journalist, Gustavo has extensive experience covering Brazilian politics and international affairs. He has been featured across Brazilian and French media outlets and founded The Brazilian Report in 2017. He holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Latin American studies from Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris.