Photographer: Mikael Sjoberg / Bloomberg
Photographer: Mikael Sjoberg / Bloomberg
Mexico and Argentina have reached agreements to produce the UK drugmaker The promised Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc for Latin America, said the governments of the nations.
The countries will make 150 million to 250 million initial doses of the potential Covid-19 vaccine designed by scientists at the University of Oxford after the required trials, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in Twitter messages on Wednesday night. The foundation of billionaire Carlos Slim is helping fund the plan, Ebrard said.
The goal is to produce the vaccine since the first half of next year, and there will be no gains from it during the pandemic, Fernandez said in a statement after a meeting with AstraZeneca representatives. His health minister said Argentina would give priority to getting the vaccine to seniors, medical professionals and people with pre-existing conditions.
Read about the pandemic impact in Latin America
The results of Phase 3 of the vaccine have been available since November, and Mexicans will have universal access to the vaccine, which will be free, Ebrard told President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s news conference on Thursday morning. Lopez Obrador said the cost to Mexico would be less than 25 billion pesos, ($ 1.12 billion).
“This is a deal for vaccine production in Mexico that is considered today to be the most advanced in the world,” Ebrard said. Manufacturing is scheduled for the first quarter of 2021, according to AstraZeneca’s Mexican carrier, Sylvia Varela.
Mexico is third in the world in confirmed deaths with Covid-19 with more than 53,000, beating only Brazil and the US, and Latin America accounts for half of the 10 countries with the most cases worldwide.
Slim his son, America Movil chairman Carlos Slim Domit, who also attended the news conference, said the cooperation would allow Mexico to receive the fax one year. Biotechnology company mAbxience will produce the active substance in Argentina and Mexican laboratory Liomont will complete the formulation process, Fernandez said Wednesday. The finished vaccine will then be exported to the rest of Latin America.
– With the help of Jose Orozco, and Cyntia Aurora Barrera Diaz
(Updates with comments about Ebrard, starting in fourth paragraph.)
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