Russia Delays Vaccine Shipments, Stalling Latin America’s Inoculation Efforts

A delay in shipments of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine will likely push back inoculation timelines in Latin America, testing the future electability of politicians who were hoping to quickly roll out the vaccine. On Jan. 27, Russia announced that shipments of its Sputnik V vaccine to a number of countries will be delayed by two to three weeks. Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Mexico and Paraguay will all be impacted, having already purchased significant quantities of the vaccine. Argentina, meanwhile, will receive shipments on an altered schedule. The delay is due to the facilities in Moscow expanding their production capacity in the hopes to meet growing global demand. Argentina was the first country to buy a significant amount of doses of Russia’s Sputnik V, but the vaccine’s popularity in the region spread due to its affordability and availability....