Mexico to Cut Pfizer Vaccine Imports to Supply Poor Countries

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) Sunday informed his government will reduce the U.S. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine imports so that poorer countries have greater access to it.

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"We agree that Pfizer doses should be reduced so that the United Nations (UN) can distribute them equally to poor countries," AMLO said.

Despite this decision, the government's vaccination plan does not stop. Mexico's government will seek a contract with other pharmaceutical companies to purchase new doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccines. 

"Mexico is planning to acquire the Chinese CanSino and the U.K. AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines. We will have enough doses to get the population immunized," AMLO said, recalling that Mexico has 126.2 million inhabitants.

When there is greater availability of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, "our country will receive its corresponding doses," he assured.

Some European nations are buying large quantities of vaccines, but they are not applying them due to slow bureaucracies, lack of health care workers, and shortages of essential equipment.

"The anti-coronavirus vaccines are rapidly reaching high-income countries, while the world's poorest states have none. It's a success for science, but a failure for solidarity," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.