US to Send 2.7 Million AstraZeneca Vaccines to Mexico

The US plans to send about 4 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to Mexico and Canada, reports The Guardian. Mexico will receive about 2.7 million doses, reports MBN, while Canada will receive the other 1.5 million. This ia the first time the US has supplied vaccines to another country. The move comes after China exported vaccines to several different countries in what is being called “vaccine diplomacy,” reports BBC News.

Joe Biden’s administration had been pressured by other countries to share its vaccine surplus, mainly regarding the AstraZeneca development, which has been authorized in many countries but not in the US, reports Reuters. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador thanked US President Joe Biden for agreeing to send doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico.

In a video message, Marcelo Ebrard, Minister of Foreign Affairs, explained that he discussed how important it is for Mexicans to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine with US State Secretary, Antony Blinken. Ebrard highlighted that these vaccines will be used for second doses, due to the many delays in vaccine distribution in Mexico. “AstraZeneca will send 2.7 million doses to Mexico, which will arrive next week in our country, allowing for second doses to be administered to continue with the vaccination plan,” Ebrard highlighted in the video announcement on Friday.

How Is Mexico Doing in Terms of Vaccination?

As of Mar. 21, 2021, 3.84 percent of the population has received one dose and 0.56 percent has been fully vaccinated, according to OurWorldInData. On his Friday daily conference, President López Obrador emphasized that Mexico has enough doses to continue with the national vaccination plan and that vaccination will not stop. “Our goal of vaccinating all seniors before the end of April will be achieved,” reported MBN.

However, experts believe that Mexico has had problems developing a proper vaccination plan. “The problem since the beginning has been (that) there is no expert leading the vaccination program in Mexico. Everything is done by different people in the cabinet, people who do not have knowledge of vaccines,” said Roselyn Lemus-Martin, a Mexican COVID-19 researcher, to The Guardian.