President Fernandez says coronavirus vaccine issues should not be politicized

Mexico City, Feb 23 (AFP/APP): Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said Tuesday that no crime had been committed in a scandal over coronavirus vaccine queue-jumping that forced his health minister to resign.

Fernandez, on an official visit to Mexico, called the incident “reprehensible” but said that the issue of vaccines was “very sensitive” and should not be politicized. “I’ve read that they’ve made a complaint … Let’s end the nonsense!”

Fernandez said as he joined Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at his daily news conference. “I ask the prosecutors and judges to do what they must,” he said, adding that there was “no such crime” as vaccine queue-jumping under Argentinian law.

Gines Gonzalez Garcia quit as health minister on Friday at the request of Fernandez after it emerged that his friends had been able to skip the line for coronavirus inoculation. Fernandez said he did not rule out further resignations.

“Those who have to go are going to have to go because I never promoted or endorsed any of that,” he said.

Fernandez himself received Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in January in what he said was an effort to encourage others to be inoculated.