Venezuela advances in sanitary procedures for the use of Russian medicine in patients with COVID-19 - MPPRE

Venezuela advances in sanitary procedures for the use of Russian medicine in patients with COVID-19

Venezuela is making progress in the necessary health procedures to be able to acquire Avifavir, the Russian drug designed for patients with COVID-19, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza informed Sputnik.

“We have already advanced some of the health and bureaucratic procedures to be able to obtain this drug for the treatment of patients with COVID-19, so I think we will soon see it in Venezuela”, he said in statements offered to Sputnik.

Avifavir is the first drug to be approved in Russia as a treatment against COVID-19, and its active ingredient is the antiviral favipiravir, a drug used primarily to treat influenza and which has even been shown to have some activity against Ebola.

According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDFI), the drug has been effective in patients with COVID-19, in three independent clinical studies conducted in the Eurasian country during tests on 700 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of coronavirus.

Russian vaccine

On the other hand, he indicated that the Venezuelan Government hopes that this certified vaccine will soon arrive in Venezuela to be able to vaccinate the population.

Jeringa (imagen referencial)

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday that they plan to start mass free vaccination against the new coronavirus in October.

Murashko indicated that the clinical trials of the vaccine developed by the National Center for Epidemiological Research and Microbiology “Gamalei” have already concluded, and commented that its State registration is currently being processed.

Venezuela reached 20,206 COVID-19 infections on Sunday, of which 8,228 are active and 174 have died.

Venezuela sends complaint to UN for attack on consulate in Colombia

The Government of Venezuela sent a communication to the United Nations (UN) to denounce the attack against its consulate in Bogotá, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza informed Sputnik.

“We have sent a communication to the Secretary of the United Nations, Antonio Gutérres, denouncing the attack on our diplomatic installation in Bogotá”, said the Minister.

La bandera de Venezuela

For its part, the Government of Iván Duque communicated that the facts will be investigated and alleged that a private company is in charge of the security of the consulate, claims that were condemned by Venezuela.

Arreaza highlighted in the interview with Sputnik that the complaint submitted to the UN included “annexes, photographs, and videos of the vandalism that occurred there.”

Government of Venezuela has always been open to dialogue

“It is always possible to dialogue, dialogue is a rule of democracy and much more of the Venezuelan popular democracy, President (Nicolás) Maduro has made countless calls for dialogue”, Arreaza said, regarding the possibility of a new space for dialogue with the opposition sector represented by the opposition parliamentarian Juan Guaidó.

The government, stressed the Foreign Minister, is always ready to dialogue with any actor in the Venezuelan political opposition.

The Minister indicated that the delegation of envoys from the Government of Norway, who was in the country a week ago to resume dialogue with the opposition, held meetings with the head of the government dialogue commission, Jorge Rodríguez, also Vice-president of Communication, but indicated that he did not participate.

Post-pandemic diplomacy

The COVID-19 pandemic (caused by the new coronavirus), Arreaza said, “has laid bare capitalism” and is a call for a system change that focuses on seeking equality.

“It is a moment of inflection, if humanity does not take advantage of this moment to change human relations, production, international relations, it will be difficult for us to have an opportunity like this, we must take advantage of it and move towards a different world that is not only necessary, but essential”, he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced, among other things, the digitization of diplomatic relations, both in international relations and in plenary sessions of the United Nations.