Mexico City – Mexico expects delivery of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to increase to over 100,000 doses by Jan. 4 and more than 1.4 million doses by the end of the month, according to a schedule outlined by the president last week.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters at a news conference that about 50,000 Pfizer vaccines have already arrived, with another 53,000 expected by early this week. He stressed that the initial supplies will go to frontline medical workers who are treating sick patients.
U.S. drugmaker Pfizer’s vaccine is the first of several expected to reach the country as the government presses companies to honor delivery commitments on time amid concerns of delays due to a global scramble to secure supplies.
Mexico expects to get deliveries of about 200 million doses of different coronavirus vaccines in 2021, Presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez Cuevas reported.
“The Mexican Government has signed agreements to ensure millions of vaccines against COVID-19 for all Mexicans. 34 million Pfizer vaccines will arrive in 2021; 77.4 million from Astra Zeneca; 35 million from Cansino; 51.5 million from Covax,” Ramirez said on Twitter.
The presidential spokesman added that Mexico is also analyzing ways of securing Russian and German vaccine deliveries.
After medical staff are vaccinated, the elderly will be next in line, which could begin in the second half of January.
“Finishing with health personnel… by the second two weeks of January, we start with the elderly,” Lopez Obrador said in a video posted on Twitter, adding that the vaccine would be delivered to any who were housebound.
The vaccination strategy consists of five stages:
Stage 1 – From December 2020 to February 2021, front line health care workers will be vaccinated for COVID-19. (This stage has begun in specific locations and should be in all states of Mexico by mid to late January)
Stage 2 – From February to April 2021, the remaining health personnel and people 60 years and older will be vaccinated.
Stage 3 – From April to May 2021, people aged 50-59.
Stage 4 – May to June 2021, to people 40-49 years old.
Stage 5 – From June 2021 to March 2022; the rest of the population will be vaccinated.
many questions
In response to the many questions that were being asked by expat members of their Facebook group, Covidinfo4mexico recently posted the following:
“Here are the facts that we know (which have been shared from a variety of sources, so please understand they are always subject to change):
1. If you have residency (not a travel permit, but temporary or permanent visa) and a CURP number then you will be able to be vaccinated via the public sector. (Locations for vaccination will be announced when they are determined.)
2. Vaccines at this point will only be issued during your appropriate tier on the distribution schedule (see below for age tiers and estimated distribution month).
3. As the vaccine will be issued via the public sector, it will NOT be for sale or issued at a price (via the private sector) until all Mexican citizens and residents have the opportunity to be vaccinated free of charge.
4. Distribution is being highly monitored and guarded to prevent theft.
5. There has been no announcement made regarding ability to cross state lines (ie, between Nayarit and Jalisco) to get vaccinated.
6. The distribution of available vaccines will be for the medical professionals in the hardest hit (highest number of active cases) hospitals and neighborhoods first.
As previously published, once the medical and healthcare workers have been vaccinated, only then will the distribution begin to high risk individuals and the age tiers (80+, 70-79, 60-69, etc).
At this time it is predicted that this will not begin until AT LEAST February 2021 and continue throughout the Spring and Summer. All timelines are estimates and are subject to change as vaccines become available.”
Sources: Reuters • ANI • Covidinfo4mexico Facebook Group