Ecuador's health minister resigns after vaccine access scandal
Juan Carlos Zevallos, seen here addressing the media in Guayaquil, Ecuador in January 2021, faced a backlash.
(CNN)Ecuador's health minister Juan Carlos Zevallos stepped down Friday, after his department allowed a university official receive a Covid-19 vaccine ahead of other priority groups.
President
Lenin Moreno announced Zevallos's resignation on Twitter, after the
move prompted a major backlash. He posted the minister's resignation
letter, which explained that his decision to step down was due to "the
current political climate." Zevallos added that he was also stepping
down to "allow the National Vaccination Campaign to continue."
Zevallos,
who oversaw Ecuador's approach to the pandemic, came under fire after
it was revealed the Health Ministry had invited a university rector to
receive a vaccine before health workers and the elderly.
Zevallos is the third South American health minister to resign after similar vaccine access scandals.
Peru's
Pilar Mazzetti resigned on February 13 after it was revealed a group of
politicians, including former president Martin Vizcarra, had been given
access to the vaccine ahead of other groups.
On
February 20, Argentina's health minister, Gines Gonzalez Garcia, also
stepped down after a journalist revealed he was part of a "VIP group"
that was vaccinated by the health ministry outside the regular
vaccination campaign.
Latin
American countries were left scrambling for vaccines earlier this year.
Ecuador began its inoculation campaign in January using the
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
The country has reported 281,169 total Covid-19 cases and 15,669 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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