Biden could announce agreement with Mexico and Canada for vaccines today

Biden meets target of 100 million vaccinations 2:32

Washington (CNN) -

Joe Biden's government finalizes plans to send millions of doses of AstraZeneca's covid-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada in storage and awaiting official approval for use in the United States, the press secretary said. from the White House, Jen Psaki.

"I can confirm that we have 7 million releasable doses of AstraZeneca available," Psaki said Thursday at the White House press conference.

"We are working on finalizing plans to lend 2.5 million to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada," he added.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, could announce the agreement once finalized, which could happen as soon as this Friday, according to CNN learned.

On Tuesday, Mexico's foreign minister said an announcement could arrive before the weekend.

"I would say that we have advanced a lot, but the details, the figures and the provisions will not be known until Friday," Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters on Tuesday morning, according to Reuters.

"We request as many (AstraZeneca doses) as possible."

Biden has met virtually with both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

During the conversations, they both pressed him on the need for more vaccines.

Mexican government officials also pressured Biden officials to help with the supply of vaccines during talks between the two sides about the immigration situation at the southern border, a US administration official told CNN.

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The Biden administration has promised to have enough vaccines for all Americans before sharing doses, and if this deal goes through, it would be the first time the United States has shared vaccines directly with another country.

It is also likely to give a big boost to vaccination efforts in Canada and Mexico, which struggle with their vaccination plan compared to the US.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that requests had been received from both Mexico and Canada and said they were being carefully considered.

He did not provide details on when a decision would be made.

The other US administration official told CNN that one option being considered is an exchange agreement with the two countries to share AstraZeneca doses now on the condition that Mexico and Canada share the excess vaccines with the US. In the future.

There are tens of millions of doses of AstraZeneca in storage in the US and the company believes it will have approximately 50 million doses available to the US government by the end of April.

Neither dose is available in the country because AstraZeneca has not applied to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an emergency use authorization, and the vaccine is still in clinical trials in the United States.

AstraZeneca's vaccine has been approved for use in both Canada and Mexico, and the company itself has asked the Biden administration to consider requests to donate inventory to other nations.

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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced on Monday that he was close to reaching two agreements on vaccines, but did not specify which countries would send them.

Another senior official from Mexico publicly asked the United States to share the AstraZeneca vaccines earlier this week.

A spokesman for the Canadian embassy said there have been "big commitments" with the Biden administration on COVID-19, adding that "there are ongoing talks" when it comes to vaccinating more Canadians.

The spokesperson did not comment on the potential swap deal.

CNN's Nicole Gaouette and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

AstraZenecaCoronavirus Vaccine