Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, May 22, 2026

Argentina's President tests positive for Covid-19 after vaccine

Argentina's President tests positive for Covid-19 after vaccine

He said he'd take the Covid-19 vaccine first, as a role model for the rest of Argentina. A little over two months after receiving the Russian-made Sputnik V, Argentinian President Alberto Fernández has tested positive for the coronavirus.

In a series of tweets posted Friday evening -- his birthday -- the Argentinian President said a fever and slight headache had prompted him to get tested.

"I'm already isolated, complying with the current protocol and following the instructions of my personal doctor," he said. "I have contacted the people I met in the last 48 hours to assess whether they constitute close contact."

An antigen test followed by a PCR test confirmed his Covid-19 diagnosis this weekend, according to Fernández's medical team. The 62-year-old leader's health remains "stable, asymptomatic, with parameters within normal ranges," they said.

Argentina became the first Latin American country to distribute the Sputnik V vaccine in late December, with the purchase of up to 25 million doses.

Fernández received his first dose of that vaccine on January 21, and his second in February, a press officer at the Presidential Casa Rosada said.

It is possible to get infected and test positive for Covid-19 after being vaccinated. While vaccination reduces the likelihood of disease -- especially severe cases -- it's still unclear to what degree each coronavirus vaccine prevents all infections.

Russia's Gamaleya Institute, which developed the Sputnik V vaccine, has wished Fernández well and emphasized the shot's high protection against severe illness.

"We are sad to hear this. Sputnik V is 91.6% effective against infection and 100% effective against severe cases. If the infection is indeed confirmed and occurs, the vaccination ensures quick recovery without severe symptoms. We wish you a quick recovery!," read a message on Sputnik V's official Twitter account, citing rates published February in the medical journal The Lancet.

Argentina's initial vaccination campaign was accompanied by scandal, after revelations that a group of about 70 people had received early vaccine access, resulting in the resignation of then-health minister Ginés González García.

Fernández defended his own early vaccination as necessary and proper, he told press during a trip to Mexico in late February, although he acknowledged that the so-called "VIP vaccinations" took place under "irregular circumstances."

"The media in Argentina put Alberto Fernández among the people who received the vaccine inappropriately, but I had to get the vaccine because the Argentine media said that the Russian vaccine could not be trusted. I had to call on the trust of the citizens," he said.

With just 1.5% of the country's population now fully vaccinated, Argentina's government remains on high alert. Last week, the country suspended all incoming flights from Brazil, Chile and Mexico due to increasing Covid-19 cases in those countries, according to Argentina's state-news agency Telam. Flights from the United Kingdom have also been suspended.

As of Sunday, Argentina had confirmed more than 2,383,000 cases of Covid-19, and 56,106 deaths due to the virus.

Tweeting about his diagnosis on Friday, Fernández urged the country not to let its guard down. "It is clear that the pandemic did not pass and we must continue to take care of ourselves," he wrote.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Strategic Saudi-Bahrain Causeway Closed Amid Security Concerns as Trump Deadline Approaches
Saudi Arabia Keeps Red Sea Oil Exports Flowing Despite Regional Tensions
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
Saudi Business Leader Abudawood Appointed Chairman of Merit Incentives Group
TotalEnergies Confirms Damage at Saudi Refinery Following Security Incident
Saudi Arabia Launches Early Construction Phase for King Salman Stadium Project
Saudi Shift Away from Longstanding Dollar Oil Framework Gains Attention Amid Iran Conflict
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia Resolve Long-Running Transit Visa Dispute
Saudi Oil Capacity and Pipeline Flows Reduced as Supply Risks Intensify
TotalEnergies Reports Damage to Saudi SATORP Refinery Following Security Incidents
Gulf States Assess Prospects of U.S.-Iran Truce as Regional Stability Efforts Intensify
South Korea Resumes Honey Exports to Saudi Arabia Following Sanitary Approval
Saudi Arabia Carries Out Sentences in Eastern Province Following Security Convictions
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Backs King Street’s Regional Credit Strategy
Saudi Arabia Secures World Cup Return as Egypt Celebrates Landmark Qualification
Iran and Saudi Arabia Intensify Diplomatic Engagement Amid Regional Tensions
Russia and Saudi Arabia Open Visa-Free Travel Corridor for Citizens
Saudi Oil Output Capacity Reduced by 600,000 Barrels Per Day Amid Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Suspends Operations at Select Energy Sites as Precautionary Measure
Saudi Arabia Halts Operations at Multiple Energy Facilities Amid Heightened Tensions
Global Markets Jolt as Iran Signals Ceasefire Breakdown and Rising Regional Tensions
King Street Aligns with Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund to Expand Alternative Investments in Middle East
Attack on Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Petrochemical Hub Raises Global Supply Concerns
Debate Emerges Over Saudi Strategic Decisions as Gulf Cooperation Council Dynamics Come Into Focus
Saudi Arabia Expands Full Workforce Localisation to 69 Professions in Major Labour Reform
Emerging Alliance of Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Signals New Regional Power Dynamic Amid Iran Conflict
Iran Linked to Strikes Across Gulf States Following Refinery Attack Escalation
Saudi Arabia Voices Concern Over Fragile US–Iran Ceasefire Stability
Starmer Warns Sustained Effort Needed to Ensure US–Iran Ceasefire Holds
Saudi Arabia’s Key East-West Oil Pipeline Targeted Following Ceasefire Announcement
Iran Targets Saudi Arabia’s East-West Oil Pipeline in Escalating Regional Tensions
Trump Warns of Civilizational Stakes as Iran Halts Negotiations
Saudi Companies Expand Remote Work Measures Ahead of Iran-Related Security Concerns
Iran Warns of Strikes on Saudi Energy Infrastructure if US Targets Its Facilities
Iran Urges Civilians to Form Human Shields Around Nuclear Sites as Diplomatic Deadline Approaches
Saudi Arabia Raises Oil Prices to Record Premiums Amid Supply Pressures Linked to Iran Conflict
Key Saudi-Bahrain Causeway Closed Amid Heightened Security Concerns Linked to Iran
Formula One Calendar Gap Explained as Fans Await Next Grand Prix
×