Despite doubts in Europe, Mexico seeks to speed up vaccination with AstraZeneca

Ignoring the doubts that have led several countries to curb the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, The Mexican government is seeking to put pressure on the vaccine accelerator by negotiating with the United States to share doses of the drug.

The Mexican secretary for foreign relations, Marcelo Ebrard, confined himself on Tuesday to saying that “he is doing very well” negotiating with Joe Biden’s government to transfer its inventory of British drugs, the use of which has not been authorized in the United States.

As revealed during a press conference with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico asked “As much as possible” vaccine and assured that he would get a definitive answer next Friday.

This negotiation began on March 1, during the first virtual meeting between Biden and López Obrador, where the Mexican asked the United States for access to vaccines produced in this country, since so far Mexico only receives drugs. made in Europe, China, Russia and India.

“The negotiation with the United States that resulted from the President’s conversation with President Biden is going very well, but details will not be given until they are completed, but I am optimistic,” Ebrard said. .

NO FEAR OF ASTRAZENECA VACCINE

Mexican government’s intention to access AstraZeneca vaccines in the United States fully announced wave of skepticism about the suspected side effects of the British drug.

Spain, Germany, France and Italy, among others, have suspended the application of this vaccine in recent hours due to the risk of thrombi and emboli.

However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a message of reassurance on Tuesday in ensuring that it is “Firmly convinced” that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine continue to outweigh its risks.

European experts hope they can announce next Thursday whether the reported cases “are a coincidence or a strange side effect” of AstraZeneca.

Mexico has relied heavily on the vaccine from the start and has even reached an agreement with Argentina to produce and distribute it in Latin America from next April.

Faced with the controversy, Mexican epidemiologist in charge of the coronavirus strategy, Hugo López-Gatell, who has just recovered from covid-19, said on Monday that the evidence suggests that “It’s not the vaccine that’s causing these effects.”

The country has so far applied 4.4 million doses of various vaccines and recorded 91 serious cases allegedly related to side effects of the drug.

IMMUNIZATION IS ACCELERATED

Mexico is therefore not even considering taking a break in vaccination against covid-19, a disease that has accumulated 194,944 deaths and 2.16 million infections, being the third country in the world with the most deaths, behind the United States and Brazil.

“Pharmaceutical companies and governments are helping us. It is very important that we have relations with all governments. The peoples of Russia, China, India, as well as those of the European Union are helping us, ”López Obrador said on Tuesday.

In addition, he said to be “Pending help, support and solidarity from the US government” in the case of AstraZeneca.

So far, Mexico has received 6.4 million doses of the American Pfizer, the British AstraZeneca, the Chinese Sinovac and the Russian Sputnik V.

Have been vaccinated with the first dose 828,000 health workers, 2.9 million adults over 60 and 17,000 teachers.

The Chancellor reported that as early as next week “It is going to be duplicated” the number of doses of Pfizer arriving each Tuesday from Belgium, and announced an agreement with Sinovac to receive 20 million before July.

In addition, by the end of March, the country will receive 65,000 doses of CanSino from China, a vaccine that requires only one dose per person.

“In short, the arrival of vaccines in Mexico will accelerate”, concludes the secretary.

EFE

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