Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced Thursday that Mexico and Argentina have agreed to produce between 150 and 250 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Astra-Zeneca and the University of Oxford.
The non-profit initiative will have the financial backing of the Carlos Slim Foundation, Ebrard said.
The minister said the vaccines will be ready by the first half of 2021 and will be distributed fairly throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (with the exception of Brazil), at the request of governments.
According to Argentine President Alberto Fernández, Argentina will be in charge of producing “the active substance with Mexico finishing production and packaging.
The vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Oxford and the AstraZeneca laboratory has generated “a strong immune response” in a trial with 1,000 patients, it was announced on July 20.
The the vaccine would cost between US$3 to US$4 a dose, Fernández said.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised that the Covid-19 vaccine will be free to all Mexican citizens. He said the elderly, the poor and medical personnel will have the first access to the vaccine.