Mexico Plans to Use 7.4Mln Sputnik V Doses by March as Deliveries to Start - Top Diplomat

MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2021) Mexico plans to administer 7.4 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 by March following the start of regular deliveries later this month, Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday.

"The figures are as follows: 7.4 million doses and 3.7 million people vaccinated. From January 25-29 [when the first shipment is expected], 250,000 doses a week in February, and after that, 1.2 million per week in March," Ebrard said at a press conference.

The first shipment of Sputnik V will consist of 400,000 doses, government officials said at the press conference.

The Mexican government, which began its mass immunization campaign this past Thursday, has chosen to bolster its COVID-19 vaccine supplies with Sputnik V to make up for a shortfall in available doses of a vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.

Hugo Lopez-Gatell, Mexico's deputy health secretary, announced on January 12 that preliminary agreements had been reached with Russian officials that could see up to 24 million doses of Sputnik V administered in Mexico.