Argentine President Fights Back as VIP Vaccine Scandal Grows
- Line-skipping scandal is overblown by media, Fernandez says
- Outcry has swelled after list of recipients published Monday
Alberto Fernandez
Photographer: Sarah Pabst/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said a growing scandal over Covid-19 vaccine line-cutting involving officials and key political allies is an overblown media campaign and rejected suggestions that any crime was committed.
Using a combative tone, Fernandez on Tuesday said that while he rejected the “irregular” vaccinations, it had already cost the resignation of his health minister Gines Gonzalez Garcia and did not amount to a crime. The statements follow local reports that a federal judge ordered a search warrant on the Health Ministry and a probe on Gonzalez Garcia following the publication of a list of about 70 people vaccinated out of turn.