New York National Guard troops support state efforts to administer COVID-19 vaccines in the United States Sebastian Rothwyn
The United States plans to send about four million doses that it is not using of AstraZeneca's covid-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada, in loan agreements with the two countries, Reuters announced this noon.
Mexico will receive 2.5 million doses and Canada 1.5 million.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is given in two doses, several weeks apart.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been licensed in several countries, but not yet in the United States.
There are millions of doses on US soil, according to the company, which could reach 30 million by early April.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had asked President Joe Biden, in recent talks, to help them with the vaccine shortage.
The Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, confirmed this Thursday the agreement with the United States.
“Yes, the information is correct.
Tomorrow at 9.00 am I will give you the details because we are still working on it.
Good news! ”, He said on Twitter.
They ask me if it is true that there is a vaccine agreement with the United States to follow up on the conversation between Presidents López Obrador and Biden.
Yes, the information is correct.
Tomorrow at 9 am I will give you the details because we are still working on it.
Good news!
- Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) March 18, 2021
Recently, several European countries, including Germany, France and Spain, have suspended the administration of the vaccine after detecting isolated cases of thrombosis in a few patients in some countries.
Millions of doses of AstraZeneca have been administered in the European Union, but there are only 11 known cases of thrombi of this type.
Mexico has to date a total of 870,000 doses of AstraZeneca, the third largest reserve after those of Pzifer and Sinovac.
The vaccine is being produced and packaged in Mexico, and forms a crucial gear in the strategy to combat the coronavirus crisis throughout Latin America.
López Obrador assured this Monday that, despite the suspensions in Europe, the national vaccination strategy with this company continues
The agreement with Mexico comes when the López Obrador government is mobilizing to help the United States contain the increase in the arrival of migrants at the border between the two countries.
According to Mexican authorities cited by
The Washington Post,
the delivery of vaccines is not conditional on aid at the border, but rather that Mexico has promised to host more Central American families expelled from the United States under emergency legislation due to the pandemic. At the same time, he has asked Biden to share his vaccine stock.