Venezuela wants to pay for vaccines with oil
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Sunday proposed that his country pays for coronavirus vaccines with oil.
Maduro offered the proposal at a news conference; explaining that he hoped to use oil revenue to pay for vaccines through the World Health Organization’s COVAX mechanism; which gives vaccine access to poorer countries.
“Venezuela has the oil vessels and has the customers who will buy our oil,” Maduro said; as cited by the media. “We are ready and prepared for oil for vaccines, but we will not beg anyone.”
He added that in addition to oil shipments, Caracas could pay for the vaccine provided through the COVAX initiative; which aims to provide vaccines for poor countries; with the money “kidnapped” from the country, referring to the fund’s frozen overseas accounts due to sweeping sanctions.
The crisis-stricken OPEC nation’s crude exports have plummeted to their lowest levels in decades since Washington sanctioned state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela in 2019; cutting off Venezuela’s exports to the United States and dissuading many other customers from buying Venezuelan oil as well.
Venezuela has received shipments of vaccine doses from allies Russia and China. The Venezuelan government has been in talks with the Pan American Health Organization for access to the vaccine through COVAX, but last week Venezuela said it will not accept the AstraZeneca PLC vaccine which is disturbed by COVAX, Reuters reported.
The AstraZeneca vaccine saw its use suspended in a number of European countries earlier this month after reports linking it to blood clots in some patients. But health authorities in Europe have since vouched for its safe use.
