WASHINGTON (AP) – The US plans to send a combined 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada for the first export of shots, the White House said Thursday.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is completing efforts to distribute 2.5 million doses to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada as a “loan.” The details are still being worked out.
“Our first priority remains to vaccinate the US population,” Psaki said during the daily briefing. But she added that “ensuring our neighbors can control the virus is a critical step, a critical step to end the pandemic.”
The AstraZeneca vaccine is not approved for use in the US, but it is approved by the World Health Organization. Tens of millions of doses have been stockpiled in the US should it receive an emergency permit, sparking international outrage that lifesaving doses were withheld while they could be used elsewhere.
Psaki said several countries have requested access to the US vaccines but had nothing to add to further distributions.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter that Mexico got the vaccine as a result of a conversation between President Joe Biden and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador earlier this month. “Good news!” He wrote.
“God bless America, they come to our rescue,” said Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province. He thanked Biden for his willingness to share the vaccines.
And once I get them I’ll call you a champion, but I have to get the delivery first, so thank you. I appreciate that. We’ve been waiting. That’s what real neighbors do. They help each other in a crisis, ”he said. “We’re taking all the vaccines you can give us, so that’s great news.”
The Biden administration has said that once US citizens are vaccinated, the next step is to ensure that Canada and Mexico can contain the pandemic so that borders can reopen.
While the Canadian economy is closely tied to the US, Washington has so far not allowed any of the hundreds of millions of vaccine doses made in America to be exported, and Canada has had to turn to Europe and Asia.
The difficulties in the vaccine supply chain have forced Canada to extend the time between the first injection and the second injection by up to four months, so that everyone can be protected more quickly with the primary dose. The hope is that all adults will receive at least one injection by the end of June.
Canadian regulators have approved the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but obtaining them has proven difficult.
Canada ranks 20th in the number of doses administered, with more than 8% of the adult population receiving at least one injection. That compares to nearly 45% in the UK and nearly 30% in the US. Mexico ranks 10th in the number of doses administered, with 3.3% of the total population receiving at least one injection.
AstraZeneca is one of the vaccines that has received an emergency permit in Mexico, and Mexico already has 870,000 doses of that vaccine. It also has Pfizer, SinoVac and Sputnik V for a total of more than 8 million doses. One million doses of SinoVac arrived from Hong Kong on Thursday.
US stocks of the AstraZeneca vaccine are also controversial with other allies. The 27-nation European Union had found it difficult to approach Biden for sharing supplies of the vaccine so that the disease could be stopped abroad, which would not only help save lives but also improve global economic growth .
Sherman reported from Mexico City and Gillies from Toronto.