No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsLatin AmericaMexico to start exporting AstraZeneca vaccines to Latin America

Mexico to start exporting AstraZeneca vaccines to Latin America

Mexico will soon begin exporting AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines to other Latin American nations, the government said Tuesday, under a joint production agreement with Argentina hit by a series of delays.

Following the deal struck in August to supply around 150 million shots, the Argentinian firm mAbxience is supplying the active component and Mexico’s Liomont is responsible for bottling the vaccines.

A first shipment of 800,000 doses will be sent to Argentina this weekend, while Mexico will also receive its first batch, the government said, after delays blamed on a shortage of packaging supplies.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters that it had been a “long and complicated” process.

Once final authorization is given by AstraZeneca, which is expected this week, the plant will start supplying Mexico, Argentina and “many Latin American countries,” he said.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Mexico — one of the worst-hit countries with an official Covid-19 death toll of nearly 222,000 — was committed to helping nations that do not have enough vaccines.

President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, which is facing a surge in coronavirus cases, said by video link that joint production would make Latin America less reliant on other regions for vaccines.

The equitable rollout of vaccines has been called the “challenge of our time” by the World Health Organization.

“There is no diplomatic way to say it: a small group of countries that make and buy the majority of the world’s vaccines control the fate of the rest of the world,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Latin American leaders — including Costa Rica’s Carlos Alvarado — have argued that richer nations are hoarding vaccines while poorer countries receive relatively few doses.

Costa Rica has gotten just 22% of the 9 million total doses it has purchased through Pfizer, AstraZeneca and the Covax facility.

The Central American country has a contract for 1 million AstraZeneca doses and to date has been delivered just 204,000.

Trending Now

Guatemala Offers Asylum to Nicaraguan Migrants Deported by U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...

Costa Rica’s Pride March 2025 Defies Restrictions and Celebrates Diversity

A large crowd gathered in Paseo Colón, San José, to participate in the LGBTIQ+ Pride March 2025. It began at noon, as people marched...

Costa Rica Identified as Key Maritime Route for Cocaine Trafficking

Costa Rica appears among the main maritime and aerial routes for cocaine trafficking between South and North America, according to the World Drug Report 2025 published...

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica