Mexico will produce Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 domestically, its foreign minister said on a visit to Moscow on Wednesday.
Mexico’s top diplomat traveled to Moscow on Sunday for talks to hammer out plans for Mexico to bottle Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine domestically following delays in shipments.
Mexico’s state-run vaccine manufacturer Birmex would handle the final packaging and filling of the vaccine, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in comments shared by the ministry.
Bottling the Russian shot in Mexico could start as early as May, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which markets the vaccine abroad, said on Twitter.
Ebrard, whose government is aiming to quicken its pace of vaccinations, said about a million people in Mexico had been vaccinated with Sputnik V thus far.
“The results are very positive, which speaks of the quality of science and technological development in this country,” Ebrard said of Russia.
He said the pandemic had “opened the door for us to expand and deepen this relationship.”
Mexico’s Health Ministry said in late February it expected to receive 7.4 million doses of Sputnik V by April and an additional 16.6 million shots in May. Mexico has signed an agreement to acquire a total of 24 million doses.
