Prognosis
Venezuela’s Access to Vaccines Imperiled By Seized Virus Tests
- Cooperation with opposition, PAHO stalled by dispute
- Only 1% of antigen tests delivered in Oct. have been used
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A dispute between the Venezuelan government and the opposition over Covid-19 antigen tests that were sent by the Pan American Health Organization is threatening to also narrow access to much-needed vaccines for the crisis-torn country.
The terms of a rare deal last June between President Nicolas Maduro’s administration and opposition leader Juan Guaido to use offshore funds frozen by U.S. sanctions to purchase antigen tests for distribution widely within Venezuelan hospitals were not kept, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.