Chilean President Sebastian Pinera receives his second dose of Sinovac's CoronaVac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a health care centre in Santiago, Chile, March12, 2021. Sebastian Rodriguez/Courtesy of Chilean Presidency/Handout via REUTERS
SANTIAGO: Chile´s President Sebastian Pinera on Friday pledged a return to normality for citizens from the end of March thanks to one of the fastest vaccination campaigns in the world that has already reached 24% of the population with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Pinera said in an interview with local radio shortly after receiving his second dose of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd vaccine that a recent spike in cases in Chile that saw fresh movement restrictions for the capital Santiago as well as other parts of the country would be short-lived.
"Just because we have the vaccine, we mustn't get ahead of ourselves - we are appealing to people to continue to look after themselves, wash their hands, wear masks, maintain social distance, avoid crowds and follow the health ministry guidelines and look after the elderly," he said.
"But I hope that the combination of the measures we have taken, coupled with the very successful vaccination campaign, will allow us by the end of March to start moving towards a greater degree of freedom, to give people the opportunity to go about their lives with more opportunities."
Chile is nearing its goal of vaccinating 5 million people among its vulnerable population, with more than 4.6 million people having received the first dose and 1.5 million having received its second. It has pledged to vaccinate 80% of its target population by July.
The Andean country´s confidence around its reopening comes in stark contrast to other countries in the region where vaccine campaigns have been slow to start due to delays by leaders in securing supply deals and vaccines arriving from under-pressure manufacturers, resulting in the continuation of movement restrictions.
