President Piñera leads recognition of heroes of the pandemic and takes stock of the measures that enabled us to face COVID-19

The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, this Thursday led an event to thank and recognize the hard work and commitment of thousands of people who have contributed to fighting COVID-19 in our country. 

“Today, is a day of gratitude, of thanksgiving and I know I speak for everyone in Chile in expressing my very heartfelt and profound thanks to all those Chileans, those heroes and anonymous workers, to whom we owe so much,” the President stated at a ceremony in La Moneda Palace. He was accompanied by Minister Secretary General of the Government Jaime Bellolio, Minister Secretary General of the Presidency Juan José Ossa, Health Minister Enrique Paris, Transport Minister Gloria Hutt, Education Minister Raúl Figueroa, Defense Minister Baldo Prokurica, Science Minister Andrés Couve, and Economy Minister Lucas Palacios. 

At the event, the President emphasized the hard work of health workers, the armed forces and police forces, municipal officials, the world of science, expert advisors, academia, the universities, the workers and businesspeople of Chile, the media, children and senior citizens, government officials, and each and every person in Chile who showed the nobility of Chile in the face of adversity. 

“I’m sure that history will also remember the examples of inspiration, greatness, giving, generosity, solidarity, and resilience provided by so many Chileans,” the President stated. 

The President also detailed the actions deployed by the Government to fight the pandemic, which included the training of officials, the advance purchasing of protective equipment, ventilators and tests, the integration of the network of public and private healthcare providers, the tripling of the number of beds, the creation of a broad network of laboratories, the testing, traceability and isolation strategy, healthcare residences, the implementation of the Paso a Paso Nos Cuidamos (step-by-step we take care of ourselves) Plan, and the creation of the Mobility Pass. 

In addition, he highlighted the acquisition and distribution of vaccines, which began in early April 2020 with the first negotiations with international laboratories and which meant that Chile became one of the countries with the largest and fastest vaccination programs in the world, receiving worldwide recognition. Chile also became one of the first countries to move forward with the application of a third and fourth dose to extend the protection of its population. 

A total of 48,692,736 doses had been administered in Chile by Monday, February 28, 2022. 93.21% of the target population over 18 years of age have received their full vaccination scheme. 13 million booster doses have been applied to this group and 1.2 million people have received a fourth dose. Among the population aged between three and 17, 89% have received their first dose and 81% have completed their scheme. 

“What fills me with most pride is that the spirit of the Chilean people has never bowed, despite the many blows it has received. Just like the condor, we’ve been able to take off against the wind. Today, in spite of the difficulties, I feel from the depths of my soul that Chile has coped well with the crises we’ve had to face,” President Piñera concluded.