Evaluation of the Argentine government’s response to COVID-19

Abstract

This article describes the Argentine government’s response to COVID-19 and the reaction of the national political environment in order to characterize the main prevention and immunization policies implemented from 2020 to 2022 and analyze their performance by comparing excess mortality with other South American countries. This descriptive-analytical study was based on secondary sources. The results suggest that, despite an extremely adverse oppositional political environment, the Argentine government produced consensus with diverse sectors, implemented early prevention measures, expanded critical health-care capacity, planned a satisfactory immunization strategy, and extended access to information. In regional comparisons, excess mortality placed the country among the relatively successful governmental responses in the subcontinent in the 2020–2022 period. The article concludes that interjurisdictional coordination is associated with favorable health outcomes, and offers evidence toward designing policies for future Public Health emergencies