In the framework of the press conference led by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, reported on the progress in Mexico's strategy to guarantee universal access and fair prices to the vaccine against COVID- 19. This week, the Government of Mexico signed three prepurchase contracts with three pharmaceutical companies to acquire sufficient doses of vaccines to cover up to 116 million Mexicans. The Secretary of Foreign Relations reported that the three pre-purchase agreements signed with the pharmaceutical companies could cover a range of between 81.4 and 90.9 million people. These agreements meet the search criteria for low-risk section mechanisms and protect Mexico from price increases due to excess demand. In addition, they diversify the portfolio to which the country has access, including both vaccines based on inactivated viruses and viral vectors, as well as more modern and flexible technologies. During the conference, the secretary presented details of each of the agreements. Both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines must be given in two doses. The agreement signed with AstraZeneca is for 77.4 million doses that would be available between March and August 2021. In the case of Pfizer, the agreement is for a range of between 15.5 and 34.4 million doses, depending on what the health sector agrees. The vaccines from that pharmaceutical company would arrive in Mexico between December 2020 and December 2021.
