An investigation has been opened by the courts against two Chilean veterinarians who allegedly administered vaccines against the canine coronavirus to at least 75 people in the months preceding the arrival of the vaccines developed for humans, officials said on Tuesday. health.

The two vets reportedly injected vaccines developed against the canine coronavirus - which is not the same as the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the global pandemic - into residents of the city of Calama, in northern Chile.

Health officials visiting a veterinary clinic in the city in September had first suspicions when they saw employees working without masks.

When questioned, they claimed to have been vaccinated by a local veterinarian.

The first Covid-19 vaccines did not arrive in the country until a few months later, in December.

" It's very dangerous "

The investigation showed that another veterinarian in the city had administered the canine vaccine to other people.

“It's very dangerous,” Antofagasta regional health secretary Rossana Diaz told 24horas television.

“There are studies that say the effects in humans can be local, like irritation… or systemic,” she added.

The two cases came to light this week when health officials reported to the courts that vets had not paid their fines.

The public health authority said at least 75 people, including health workers and minors, had received the dog vaccines.

Chile has so far administered at least one dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to some 7.7 million people, out of a target population of 15.2 million.

The country has recorded 1.13 million infections and more than 25,000 deaths.

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