According to the British "Guardian" reported on the 18th, the United States plans to provide about 4 million doses of AstraZeneca's new crown vaccine to Mexico and Canada in the form of loans. Of these, Mexico will receive 2.5 million doses of the vaccine and Canada will receive 1.5 million doses.
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A U.S. government official told Reuters: "This virus knows no borders and we will only leave the virus behind if we help our global partners." ”
The Guardian notes that the Biden administration is under increasing pressure from allies to share vaccines, particularly AstraZeneca vaccines. The vaccine has been approved for use in other countries, but has not yet been approved for use in the United States.
Pressure from neighboring Mexico and Canada is particularly strong: first, both countries do not have the infrastructure to provide adequate vaccines for their populations; in addition, both countries have close economic ties to the United States. But the U.S. has so far not approved any vaccine exports.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed on Thursday that Mexico has reached a vaccine deal with the United States. Details are expected to be finalized in the coming days. Meanwhile, Mexico's announcement that it would close its north-south border and ban non-essential travel sparked speculation about whether the two events were linked.
Still, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said it had "nothing" to do with Mexico's vaccine trade and tightened border enforcement.
The Guardian said the news of the deal had relieved both Canada and Mexico. Doug Ford, the governor of Ontario, Canada, said after the announcement: "God bless America — they have come to save us, and that's what real neighbors should do." ”
On March 1, not long ago, local time, the US White House press secretary Psaki said that the United States currently has no intention of sharing the new crown vaccine reserve with neighboring Canada and Mexico, and must first vaccinate all Americans.
White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki (infographic)
The Associated Press reported on the 13th that the recent large-scale procurement of new crown vaccines in the United States is likely to cause excess domestic vaccine reserves in the second half of 2021. At the same time, many countries around the world are facing severe shortages of vaccines and can only wait for supplies. The U.S. strategy of hoarding COVID-19 vaccines has drawn criticism from many quarters.
(Editor: WDQ)