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as one of Latin America's poorest countries, Bolivia has struggled to secure deals with Western drugmakers for Covid 19 vaccines.
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But that changed late last year when incoming president Luis Arce turned to Russia for help.
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By the end of December, Bolivia clinched its first major deal with enough shots for some 20% of the population.
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The first Sputnik V doses arrived in the country in late January just as cases were spiking, bringing hope to one of Latin America's most ravaged nations, where a recent surge has left corpses piling up amid overwhelmed funeral homes and cemeteries.
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Bolivian President Luis Arce oil problem boliviano.
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Whether the speed are today, the Bolivian people can breathe easy.
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They can start to do so little by little and gradually.
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Bolivia's reliance on Moscow underscores how governments across the region have turned to Russia's Sputnik V drug amid fears of being left behind in the global scramble for vaccines.
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While wealthier developed nations have signed deals with large drug companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca, many Latin American countries have faced difficulties doing so.
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Bolivian Deputy Trade Minister Benjamin Blanco called discussions last year to obtain AstraZeneca's vaccine as difficult and intense, though He declined to give more details, citing a confidentiality agreement.
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He said Bolivia wasn't able to negotiate with Pfizer because the country lacks the infrastructure to store the vaccines at the freezing temperatures required.
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But Russia's political will, Blanco said, made a deal possible political thanks to the relationship that we have at the political level.
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Russia considers Bolivia a strategic partner and vice versa.
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Thanks to the intervention of our own Bolivian president, who has contacted the president of Russia by phone.
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This contract was achieved for Russia.
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Acceptance in Latin America lends legitimacy to its vaccine, which faced initial skepticism.
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It also provides Moscow an opportunity to make inroads in the resource rich region at a time when Covid 19 vaccines are becoming a tool for soft power.
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Sputnik V is named after the Soviet era satellite that triggered the space race.
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In a nod to the projects geopolitical importance for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Five other Latin American countries have now authorized use of the Sputnik V, including Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Venezuela.
