COVID-19 vaccine in Mexico: which states will receive their first doses starting next week

While vaccination continues in specific areas of the country , the federal Health authorities and governors of the entities have already met to present a first tentative schedule for the delivery of doses to combat COVID-19 , which would begin on January 12 .

This plan was announced during a virtual meeting between the members of the National Conference of Governors ( Conago ), the Secretary of the Interior (Segob), Olga Sánchez Cordero , and the Secretary of Health, Jorge Alcocer . Thus, it is expected that between the aforementioned date and February 1, 1,313,325 vaccines will have been distributed to the entities of the Republic through three stages.

In the first distribution sketch, it was established that between January 12 and 18 , 125,775 vaccines will be delivered to workers in the health sector of the Megalopolis , that is, of the City and State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos, Puebla and Tlaxcala. Then, from January 19 to 25, they would receive another 177,450 and from January 26 to February 1, 139,425 .

For their part, the 26 remaining entities will receive 313,950 doses to immunize their health sector workers from the following week and later, from January 19 to 25, they will have another 259,350 vaccines . The last batch that they plan to deliver at this stage will be in the last week of January and will carry 297,375 vials of the antigen .

Mauricio Vila Dosal , governor of Yucatan and coordinator of the Executive Health Commission of Conago, recalled that this first phase of the vaccination strategy is designed to serve priority groups , such as health personnel . Then it will go to the elderly, people with comorbidities and teaching staff in entities that are in the green color of the epidemiological traffic light.

Regarding this plan, the head of Segob, Olga Sánchez Cordero, said that the federal government regarding vaccination has a perspective of national focus , in addition to seeking to achieve a significant level of effectiveness, efficiency and impact and, above all , guarantee universal and equal access .

“ It is time for unity and not for differences . What guides humanity towards change, progress and overcoming obstacles is unity, it is the only one that strengthens science and life in common “, commented the secretary during the meeting, in which she also highlighted that there will be no electoral use of the drug .

“In Mexico the vaccine is universal, it is for everyone. Guaranteeing equal access is a commitment of this government (…) This is the great social challenge, which is above differences, of electoral processes, is above many other circumstances and is also alien to these ”, he highlighted.

Vila Dosal also agreed on this during an interview with W Radio , where he assured that it will be the responsibility of “everyone to ensure that there is no electoral use of the vaccine , but above all that Mexicans can have the application”, in addition to pointing out that According to the scheme that has been proposed, he does not see the possibility of taking advantage of the antigen in the elections.

Until January 7, according to figures from the Ministry of Health, 1,493,569 cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Mexico , as well as 131,031 deaths . In addition, data on Thursday showed that for the second day in a row the record for new infections was broken , with 13,734, which speaks of the severity of the pandemic today. Regarding deaths , 1,044 of these were counted .