Immunization of Uruguayan footballers begins with Chinese Sinovac vaccine

Football players in Uruguay's first division receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, at Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, May 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Nicolas Zelaya)

Uruguay's first division football players started receiving the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine developed and donated by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac.

MONTEVIDEO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay's first division football players on Thursday began to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with a vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac and donated by the company to the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).

"It is a historic milestone that generates a lot of hope and a lot of joy," the vice president of the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), Gaston Tealdi, told Xinhua at the vaccination site set up at Centenario Stadium in the capital Montevideo.

The goal is "to armor most of the football system in a way and provide [health] guarantees," Tealdi said.

Alejandro Dominguez (C), President of the South American Football Federation, Wang Gang (R), Chinese Ambassador to Uruguay, and Ignacio Alonso (L), President of the Uruguayan Football Association, pose for photographs at the arrival of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine at the Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, April 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Nicolas Zelaya)

Fabian Estoyanoff, a 38-year-old forward for Centro Atletico Fenix and a former member of Uruguay's national team, told reporters, "it's great that we can start the championship and we already have at least the first dose."

Asked about the start of the season being postponed until May 15 at the request of the government, Estoyanoff said, "Let's hope this week cases [of COVID-19 in the country] begin to decline, and that when the championship starts there will be no more interruptions and there can be continuous football."

Uruguay's 16 first division football clubs, the national team, the women's teams, AUF officials, judges, and beach football players are scheduled to be vaccinated between Thursday and Friday.

The AUF received 3,600 doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine from Conmebol.