Colombia fifth Latin American country to top 1 million vaccinations

Colombia has surpassed the milestone of 1 million Covid-19 shots administered, making it the fifth country in Latin America to do so, along with Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina. 

The country began its nationwide vaccination campaign on February 17 and, according to President Iván Duque, the plan is to immunize 70 percent of Colombia’s 50.8 million population before the end of the year. The government says it has purchased 41.5 million vaccines from five different labs, which will arrive in staggered shipments throughout 2021. Colombia was also the first country in the region to receive vaccine supplies from the UN-backed COVAX fund.

As of Sunday, Colombia has reported 2.3 million coronavirus cases and more than 62,000 confirmed deaths. Due to the spread of the Brazilian coronavirus variant — which has already reached the country —, Colombia canceled flights from Brazil and postponed a meeting between Mr. Duque and his counterpart Jair Bolsonaro.

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