Two million doses of the CanSino COVID-19 vaccine arrived this morning in México.
Mexico approved the use of the one-shot vaccine for emergency use just yesterday, Feb 10.
The vaccine has proven to be 65.7% effective and was developed by the Chinese military and a Tianjin-based biotech company.
While the efficacy of the chinese vaccine is comparatively low, it has important advantages over its Moderna and Pfizer competitors, requiring just one inoculation instead of two. It is also easier to store.
Minister for foreign affairs, Marcelo Ebrad, thanked the Chinese government for the shipment.
The minister also acknowledged China’s leadership role in containing the spread of COVID-19, and highlighted the importance of maintaining good ties with the Asian country.
Last December, up to 2,000 people in Yucatán volunteered for clinical trials of the CanSino vaccine. And skepticism over the vaccine was eased after a favorable report in the medical journal Lancet.
Mexico is expecting further shipments of the CanSino vaccine in the coming weeks, bringing the total number of doses to 8 million.
