Ecuador’s Remarkable Vaccine Success
Since the moment large pharmaceutical companies announced the rollout of vaccines against the coronavirus, vaccination campaigns have become the priority of most, if not all, governments around the globe. Nevertheless, the race for this healthcare milestone differs widely for high-income countries such as Canada and the United States, which have afforded multi-million-dollar vaccine supply deals, compared to developing countries, some of which are battling to obtain enough vaccines for their high-risk populations.
Ecuador was no exception to the latter trend and quickly faced steep challenges to begin vaccination campaigns. Aside from developed countries monopolizing orders to secure vaccine supply for their citizens, during the early months of 2021, Ecuadorian vaccination rates were low as a consequence of little availability of doses and nepotism in the vaccination process. Although vaccine-hesitancy was low amongst Ecuadorians, these issues rendered Ecuador one of the slowest countries in South America to adopt vaccine strategies.
However, newly-elected Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso’s plan to vaccinate nine million Ecuadorians in 100 days has become the forefront of his presidential campaign, receiving wide international attention for its ambitiousness. Known as Plan 9/100, this endeavour required an extensive logistical, political, and social approach which, if implemented effectively, would become one of the world’s most envied vaccination campaigns.
Upon President Lasso’s rise to power, the first evident step was ensuring an increase in vaccine supply to initiate the largest vaccination campaign in Ecuador’s history. After obtaining approximately 3.5 million doses from Pfizer, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca, the government strengthened its plan by negotiating over two million doses of Russian vaccine Sputnik V and six million doses of China’s Cansino vaccine. Additionally, Ecuador’s deepening international relations as a result of Lasso’s governance have continuously resulted in numerous vaccine donations from governments around the world. The United States donated 2 million Pfizer vaccines, China over 200,000 of its SINOVAC, and Spain 102,000 AstraZeneca. The commendable solution to the low availability of vaccination rates now faced a second challenge that Ecuador successfully overcame to improve its vaccination scheme: logistics.
After allegations in the early weeks of 2021 that clandestine clinics were administering unidentified substances instead of approved vaccines, the government fortified its regulation of the vaccination campaign and institutionalized every step of the vaccination cycle to preserve safety standards.
Through a mass-communications framework and the adoption of ad-nauseum techniques to certify the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, Ecuador continued with its aggressive, yet seemingly effective, vaccination plan. Over three hundred voting centers were adapted to cater for vaccine protocols in efforts to reach rural spaces of the country where vaccine infrastructure was lacking. The government also centralized online platforms to inform citizens of their scheduled vaccine appointments. Moreover, weekly chronograms were employed to keep the population informed on any new developments regarding the vaccination campaign. Furthermore, the government called upon thousands of medical students to support in this operation in an effort to alleviate the healthcare system by maintaining non-COVID consultation schedules and doctor availability.
During the first week of the new vaccination plan in early June, over half a million Ecuadorians were vaccinated, mostly from high-priority groups as determined by age. By July 2021, roughly 300,000 people (approximately 2% of the population) were being vaccinated daily. This statistic translated to around 11% of the population being vaccinated on a weekly basis, far surpassing vaccination rates of other developing countries like Colombia, Mexico, and the world average. By early August, over 9 million doses had been administered, placing Ecuador’s vaccination statistics in a range comparable to countries like Switzerland, the United States, and Japan, with over 73% of the country’s 16+ population vaccinated. Additionally, the government devoted the month of August primarily to second doses and followed international timeline recommendations between vaccine doses, proving the logistical success of vaccine availability.
By the first week of September, the government announced that 9 million Ecuadorians had become fully vaccinated, for a grand total of 20.2 million doses administered in under four months. While appearing inconceivable after Ecuador’s poor economic performance in 2019 and 2020, President Lasso’s Plan 9/100 succeeded. This triumph is Ecuador’s first step towards a long process of social and economic recovery after facing a tumultuous and recessionary 2019 prior to being struck by the pandemic.
On top of this strong campaign, Lasso’s “market-friendly reforms” have led to a worldwide sense of confidence in Ecuador’s economy that is positively impacting performance. According to the Bloomberg Barclays index, returns on Ecuador bonds have reached 28% after nearly defaulting last year.
This wave of enthusiasm for Ecuador’s future sets a precedent for what the world hopes the country will become. The international community aspires that Ecuador will strengthen its transition to a free-market economy inviting foreign investments, respect of democracy, and the prioritization of citizen wellbeing. Though the future remains unclear in terms of COVID-19 trajectory and economic performance, President Lasso’s leadership has become an embodiment of the new era for Ecuador’s democratic regime. President Lasso’s impressive approval rating of 73.5% is deserved beyond his vision to sextuple the number of fully vaccinated individuals in two months. Lasso’s views on foreign policy and international economic involvement are worth following, as they mark a new prosperous era for Ecuador.