López Obrador is vaccinated live to make "a call to the elderly"

In less than a month, Andrés Manuel López Obrador has gone from declining to be vaccinated against covid because he had “enough antibodies” to staging his first puncture live during his daily press conference.

The president of Mexico, who suffered from the disease in February, rolled up his sleeves this Tuesday in front of the cameras to receive the first dose of AstraZeneca, investigated for adverse reactions in some countries, and to encourage the elderly population to go to their medical appointments .

“I am going to get vaccinated because I want to make a call, an appeal, to all older adults, those who are running out of the vaccine, for any concern they may have.

Tell them that we are sure that there is no risk, no danger, that there are no serious reactions ”, said the president before receiving the vaccine from military medical personnel.

"Absolutely nothing happens, that if they did not apply the first dose because they were thinking about it, when they come back to the municipality to apply the second dose they can take advantage of the vaccine and protect us all," added the president with the national record of health in hand.

More information

• This is how vaccination against covid-19 advances in Mexico

López Obrador has sought to extend his premeditated aura of public exemplarity, one of his main flags, to the episode of his own vaccination. After emphasizing from the beginning of the medication plan that no lines would be skipped, and criticizing other politicians and presidents who were vaccinated in advance, on April 1 it was their turn for the first dose. However, the president initially declined the medication.

"I am going to undergo some studies these days because the doctors who treat me, who helped me when I suffered from covid, did tests and recommended that I wait for the vaccine because I had enough antibodies," he announced then. The president contracted the disease in late January. The health of the president was surrounded by questions since he announced his diagnosis through his social networks. The Mexican government limited itself to communicating that it suffered some symptoms, without making the medical report public, alluding to the president's right to privacy. López Obrador announced his return to the public arena after two weeks of convalescence.

With the public act on Tuesday, López Obrador also seeks to consolidate the image that the vaccination plan is underway. The government hoped to vaccinate almost 15 million people over 60 years and all health personnel before the end of March, but the deadlines have nevertheless been extended until May. Mexico was one of the first countries in the world to access a coronavirus vaccine, but it fell behind after spending a month without receiving any doses, between January and February of this year. After that bumpy month and since the end of February, the entry of shipments with vaccines has been constant.

Mexico has so far administered 14.2 million vaccines, to 11.1 million inhabitants.

More than 936,000 health workers have already received the two doses of immunization, and some 146,000 are still waiting for the second dose.

22,934 members of the education sector have also been immunized and about 5,300 are still waiting for the second application.

More than 10.2 million older adults have already received the first dose and about three million already have both.

Chile, with a population of almost 19 million inhabitants and agreements for 35 million doses, leads the continental ranking.

It is followed by the United States, which has reserved almost all of its production for the domestic market.

Canada has exceeded 24 vaccinated per 100,000 inhabitants, while Brazil and Argentina are around 14.

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