First batch of COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Mexico, Latin America

Latin America received its first shipment of formally approved COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday, as Mexico’s foreign secretary called the arrival “the beginning of the end of that pandemic.”

The vaccine was brought in by a DHL flight at Mexico City’s international airport. Crews began to unload batches of the same Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that had begun to be administered to Americans last week, The Associated Press reported.

Officials did not disclose how many batches were part of the relatively small shipment, which is slated to be used to test vaccine logistics procedures once Mexico and other Latin American countries begin receiving larger quantities.

Health workers in Mexico City and in the northern city of Saltillo will begin receiving vaccines on Thursday.

Mexico is expecting to receive 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by the end of January.

Argentina announced Wednesday the approval of two additional vaccines for imminent usage, one coming from Russia and another that has no distribution deal.

The Russian Sputnik V vaccine was approved on an emergency basis and is scheduled to arrive in Argentina with a batch of 300,000 doses, though the vaccine is considered “a safe and effective therapeutic tool.”

The Sputnik V vaccine has faced some criticism in Russia for its rushed approval procedure.

Pfizer’s vaccine has also been approved by health officials in Argentina, though the government has not yet worked out a deal to begin obtaining batches.

Additionally, other Latin American countries are slated to receive shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine this week, as Brazil has begun receiving shipments from other producers.