Latin America would benefit from growth in vaccine shipments to the United States.

NEW YORK.- Latin America set to receive millions of US-made coronavirus vaccines in coming weeks, at a time when the country is emerging as one of the main exporters of doses, according to two people familiar with the matter consulted by Reuters.

The United States plans to prioritize countries in the Western Hemisphere for the 80 million doses of locally made vaccine, which it has pledged to ship overseas, one of the sources added. While, Pfizer began exporting millions of its US-made vaccines primarily to countries in Central and South America, said a second person familiar with the matter.

Many Latin American countries are in dire need of Covid-19 vaccines to fight epidemics. Brazil has been one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic in the world, reporting nearly 16 million cases and more than 441,000 deaths as of Thursday.

Pfizer, which developed its vaccine with its German partner BioNTech, produces approximately 10 million injections per week in the United States for export, as its local production exceeds US demand, the second source said.

The company ships from its Michigan facility to neighboring Canada and Mexico, as well as to nearly 10 countries in Latin America, the source said. Recent recipients of doses of U.S.-made Pfizer vaccines include Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay, the source added.

The White House still doesn’t know how to direct the vaccines it has promised to ship overseas, and President Joe Biden has yet to make a decision. But giving preference to countries that share a hemisphere with the country is an argument under consideration because it would be in the interest of the American people, according to the first person. Criteria for sharing the vaccine would be epidemiological and include geographic flexibility so that adjustments can be made as the pandemic progresses, said another person familiar with the matter.

Reuters Agency

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