Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador thanked President Joe Biden after his administration announced they would send more than 2.5 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to ease a vaccine shortage in the country.
“We thank President Biden for sending us these vaccines,” Lopez Obrador said, noting that the vaccines should arrive by next week. He added that in return, Mexico would give the United States “friendship and cooperation across all spheres.”
Lopez Obrador noted that the vaccine supply will help Mexico meet its goal of vaccinating its population of 126 million. Everyone over 60 should have their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by the end of April.
More than 197,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Mexico since the pandemic began.
Yesterday, news outlets reported that the United States would supply 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Canada and Mexico. While both Canada and Mexico have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use, the United States has not. The move marks the first time the United States has directly supplied vaccines to another country.
“Our top priority remains vaccinating the U.S. population, but the reality is that this virus knows no borders, and ensuring our neighbors can contain the virus is mission-critical to protecting the health and economic security of Americans and for stopping the spread of covid-19 around the globe,” a White House official said yesterday.
