COVENTRY, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08: Margaret Keenan, 90, is the first patient in the United Kingdom to receive the Pfizer/BioNtech covid-19 vaccine at University Hospital, Coventry, administered by nurse May Parsons, at the start of the largest ever immunisation programme in the UK's history on December 8, 2020 in Coventry, United Kingdom. More than 50 hospitals across England were designated as covid-19 vaccine hubs, the first stage of what will be a lengthy vaccination campaign. NHS staff, over-80s, and care home residents will be among the first to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which recently received emergency approval from the country's health authorities. (Photo: Getty)
The White House and President Joe Biden have announced that they plan to send millions of doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the United States is planning to send 2.5 million doses to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada. The Food & Drug Administration has still not approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the U.S., so the estimated more than ten million doses in American storage are still unused.
Reporters asked Psaki if the move from the Biden administration has “strings attached” for the countries receiving U.S. vaccine supply. Psaki explained that politics are not transactional. “There’s rarely just one issue you’re discussing with any country at one time,” Psaki said. “Certainly that’s not the case with Mexico. It’s not the case with any country around the world. And so I wouldn’t read into it more than our ability to provide — to lend — vaccine doses.”
Officials in Mexico also denied the “strings attached” notion with Roberto Velasco, director general for the North America region at Mexico’s foreign ministry. “These are two separate issues.” Velasco explained that the two countries’ relationship can only grow closer as a result of the vaccine shipment. “We look for a more humane migratory system and enhanced cooperation against COVID-19, for the benefit of our two countries and the region.”
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-5miskGO5lo California Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference held by the…
President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged address Tuesday during a rally marking the Army’s…
On June 14, thousands of troops, 28 tanks and 100 other vehicles are expected to…
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed eight new…
Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), posted a video to X, a social…
A Republican congresswoman is facing bipartisan backlash after calling a Sikh's deliverance of a morning…
