The provincial Minister of Health, Sonia Martorano opened the press conference at the Coni Institute with its director, Juan Carlos Bossio and other authorities, and the director of ANLIS Malbrán, Pascual Fidelio. “We are very grateful to Minister Vizzotti and Sandra Tirado for their visit.” “They have been our leaders in times of pandemic”, said Martorano.
The official specified some current data: “74% of the general population has completed the 2-dosis scheme at the Esquina Encendida. 70% of the 3-11 age group, and 80% of the 12-17 age group have been vaccinated. We are going to share the vaccination strategy; we have received feedback to analyze everything we can do to continue improving and working with a federal perspective."
Martorano thanked the Minister of Nation for the accompaniment in this pandemic; "you have been a guide for all of us."
60 anniversary of Emilio Coni Institute
Minister Vizzotti said, "It is a significant visit. The Coni Institute, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases celebrates 60 years. It is as important as the Anlis Malbrán, because these institutes do research in epidemiology, and their specific roles in the pandemic have reaffirmed their relevance".
Increased investment
Vizzotti explained, "Next year, Institute Coni will receive an investment of 140 million pesos, 4000 times higher, for a genomic unit and the upgrading of infrastructure and work."
Minister Vizzotti highlighted the work of the institute in the articulation of respiratory pathologies, "beyond tuberculosis, to expand everything that has already be done. The institute has records of people with fibrocystic disease of the pancreas to favor their access to treatment within the framework of the comprehensive drug policy."
Juan Carlos Bossio, director of Coni Institute, considered that it was "a very important day because they have been 60 years working nationally and internationally for tuberculosis and respiratory diseases in general, integrating the institutes that Anlis Carlos Malbrán has.” He thanked the presence of the director of the Anlis Malbrán, Pascual Fidelio, and the Minister of Health of the Nation".
"It is a historic event for us because it represents the commitment that the national government has to strengthen the task of the institutes to guarantee the respiratory health of all the inhabitants of the Argentine Republic," the director concluded.
Meanwhile, Pascual Fidelio, explained the context they went through during the last two years, and valued: "It was a huge struggle during the pandemic but we knew that it could not hinder the enormous work that we had to continue doing because there are endemic diseases and pathologies in Argentina. And although the Coni had a preponderant role in the diagnosis of Covid-19, we did not stop working on the rest of the pathologies".
"Proof of this," he added, "is that we have made a very important investment to renovate laboratories, equipment, furniture, incorporate human resources, advancing in the study of diseases such as COPD, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, and to guarantee ubiquitous health access to all the population."
Working meeting
The Minister of Health also held a working meeting with an INER team that consisted of the presentation of planning, research projects and efficient articulation strategies with the Ministry of Health of the Nation.
Martorano explained that "we talked about different topics of this National and Federal Vaccination Plan, in a contingency plan that questioned us in this year and a half and that has been operated on at the national and federal level."
Vaccination operation
Minister Vizzotti was also present at the La Esquina Encendida Vaccination Center and expressed in that framework: "We want to value the work of the province in the immense progress of the vaccination operation with more than 70% of the population with a complete scheme, and even more valuable when many of them are children and adolescents."
To conclude, Vizzotti expressed his gratitude "to Minister Sonia Martorano and her entire team for the constant work" and urged "to continue vaccinatingt." "We are in a favorable epidemiological moment with the increase in vaccination, in Argentina in general, but, in the province in particular, by the aforementioned numbers we are at a relevant moment because we have the picture of what is happening in the northern hemisphere with the emergence of a new variant so it is time to act with nation, Province, municipalities and the media to be able to bring recommendations to the population and that the right to be vaccinated can be exercised".
