August 6, 2020 and provided by the Russian Direct Investment Fund
shows the vaccine against the coronavirus disease, developed by the
Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.
Handout / Russian Direct Investment Fund / AFP
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said
Monday that he would be among the first to receive a Russian
coronavirus vaccine if it is shown to be effective.
Russia’s announcement last week that it was the first in the
world to approve a coronavirus vaccine was met with caution from
Western scientists who said it still needed to be proved safe and
effective.
“I would be the first to get vaccinated because it m atters a
lot to me, but we have to … ensure that it’s something effective
and that it’s available to everyone,” Lopez Obrador said at his
daily news conference.
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The Mexican leader added that he would personally reach out to
Russia or China if they are first to develop an effective
vaccine.
“In this important matter, there should be no ideologies… health
comes first,” he said.
reflected in a mirror while preparing to the COVID-19 zone of a
hospital in Atizapan, Mexico, on May 22, 2020, amid the new
coronavirus pandemic. PEDRO PARDO / AFP
The Latin American country has recorded more than 56,000
coronavirus deaths — the world’s third-highest toll — and over half
a million infections.
Mexico announced a deal last week with British-Swedish
pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca to manufacture its vaccine now
under development if clinical trials show it to be effective.
AFP