The President of Argentina has tested positive for Covid-19, despite having the Russian-made vaccine Sputnik V in January.
Alberto Fernández, 62, had the jab publicly in a Buenos Aires hospital on January 21 but came down with a fever and slight headache on Friday, prompting him to get tested.
His diagnosis was confirmed with an antigen test, followed by a PCR test, over the weekend.
Fernández said: ‘I’m already isolated, complying with the current protocol and following the instructions of my personal doctor.
‘I have contacted the people I met in the last 48 hours to assess whether they constitute close contact.’
The President’s medical team said he was ‘stable, asymptomatic, with parameters within normal ranges’.
Fernández has received both doses of the Sputnik vaccine, one in January and the second in February.
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In reaction to the news, Russia’s Gamaleya Institute, which developed the Sputnik V vaccine, re-iterated the high effectiveness of the jab, citing research data published in the medical journal The Lancet in February.
Sputnik V’s official Twitter account said: ‘We are sad to hear this. Sputnik V is 91.6 per cent effective against infection and 100 per cent effective against severe cases.
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‘If the infection is indeed confirmed and occurs, the vaccination ensures quick recovery without severe symptoms. We wish you a quick recovery!’
It remains unclear how effective Covid-19 vaccines are at stopping the person from catching the virus.
It is still possible to catch and test positive for Covid-19 after having the jab, however, the vaccine vastly reduces the likelihood of severe symptoms to the virus.
Argentina was the first country in South America to rollout the Sputnik V vaccine in December and has ordered nearly 25 million doses.
But the rollout has been marred in controversy after nearly 70 people received the vaccine early.
The then-health minister Ginés González García resigned over the debacle, but Fernández defended his early receipt vaccine, saying it was necessary.
MailOnline
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