Yesterday, just in time for our Independence Day (today), Uruguay reached 70% of the population with two doses. 10% of these have already received a third booster. A further 7% are on one dose but, for the most part, couldn't get the second due to infection. 17% of the population are minors, for which vaccine rollout hasn't been approved. That leaves 6% not vaccinated for whatever reason, largely aged 12-30.
It was only a few months ago that we spent several weeks topping the world deaths per million charts, hovering consistently around 18-20/million/day. Yesterday COVID patients were occupying 1.5% of our ICU capacity, down from 45% at one point (effectively 68% of our pre-pandemic capacity as we had increased beds by 50% in 2020*). Vaccines work, simple as.
We've had cases of delta but it hasn't gained any traction so far, daily cases/hospitalisations are consistent with the expected rates from having most of the population on the less effective Sinovac, but with acute cases getting flattened regardless.
I know first hand that there's a delta wave forming in Brazil that will likely hit them hard in September, so will keep you posted on how we cope with the trickle down in September-October.
For those interested in the finer detail, these are the platforms and sequencing:
Early March
-#1 Priority Groups: healthcare, Old-Age homes and Homeless people got Pfizer. Teachers and police got Sinovac.
From mid-March
-50-70: Primarily 2xSinovac -18-50: 2xSinovac (available in the necessary numbers) and now boosting with 1xPfizer. Covax Fund (multilateral WHO bollocks) AstraZeneca was not available in quantity, nor offered any certainty around deliveries. When some finally arrived in May they wound up getting used mainly with this age group and to accelerate across the dry border with Brazil (inc. vaccinating Brazilians in joint cities). There was the added bonus of using a platform different to the one in Brazil (Sinovac) so as to protect (or at least gage effectiveness) against variants, which largely creep in across that border.
-18-50: 2xSinovac and now getting booster with 1xPfizer.
From mid-April
-Over 70: 2xPfizer
From mid-May
-Pregnant or U-18: 2xPfizer
From late July
-Pfizer booster for Sinovac
-Government already has orders in place aligned with 1xPfizer booster for everyone next year.
*Deserves a separate post