Argentine Leader Has COVID, Despite Russian Vaccine

Argentina's president has become the latest world leader to test positive for COVID, but Alberto Fernández's case comes with a twist. Fernández was vaccinated in January, reports CNN. The 62-year-old received Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, and he was fine until a mild headache and a slight fever prompted him to get tested last week, he tweeted. Both his physician and Russia's Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine, say the case is no cause for alarm because while vaccines may not prevent all new cases, they do help keep cases from becoming serious. Fernández’s symptoms are “mild due in large part to the protective effect of the vaccine,” says his doctor, per the New York Times. The institute tweeted the same sentiment.

"I'm already isolated, complying with the current protocol and following the instructions of my personal doctor," wrote the president. "I have contacted the people I met in the last 48 hours to assess whether they constitute close contact." Argentina, like many nations around the world, is seeing an uptick in cases of late. Last week, it suspended flights from Brazil, Chile, and Mexico because of even greater surges in those countries. Though Argentina approved use of the Russian vaccine in December, vaccinations are going slower than expected. Less than 2% of the nation of 45 million has been fully vaccinated. Argentina has seen more than 2.3 million cases and 56,000 deaths. (More Argentina stories.)