Mexico’s Supreme Court has agreed that the economic cost of Mexico’s COVID-19 vaccination program should remain secret for the time being.
In its controversial decision, the court cited “national security” and decreed that such information would not be published until at least 2025.
In 2021, Mexico’s institute for transparency ordered that the cost of the vaccination program must be released before the next round of federal elections, but that decision has been overturned.
The government funds in question have to do specifically with contracts for undisclosed amounts with the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer-BioNtech, AstraZeneca, and Cansino.
To date, Mexico has purchased nearly 244 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
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The federal government is also arguing that part of the reason behind this decision has to do with confidentiality clauses signed with pharmaceuticals, but this has not been the case in other countries.
Critics of the government point out that this lack of transparency is unacceptable and is rooted in politics rather than national security.
This is because Mexico’s next round of federal and presidential elections is scheduled for 2024, and would allow President Obrador’s Morena party off the hook politically for any irregularities regarding the vaccination campaign.
Regardless of the cost, Mexico’s COVID-19 vaccination program has been considered to be highly effective. Approximately 82% of the country has received at least one dose.
Deaths and hospitalizations in the country have trended downward in a dramatic fashion over the past few months, though reports of new infections continue.
