Better Late Than Never: Mexico Finally Develops a COVID-19 Vaccine Two Years Late

Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – On Wednesday, Mexican authorities celebrated the development of the country’s first COVID-19 vaccine, named “Patria” or “Motherland,” more than two years after vaccines from the U.S., Europe, and China were introduced. The vaccine is a collaborative effort between the Mexican government and Avimex, a company that previously specialized in animal vaccines.

The purpose of the newly developed vaccine remains uncertain, as vaccine uptake in Mexico has significantly declined in late 2022 and 2023. The country still has millions of doses of the Abdala vaccine purchased from Cuba. María Elena Álvarez-Buylla, the director of Mexico’s government commission for science and technology, announced that the Patria vaccine would be approved for use as a booster shot, although it is unclear whether the government’s medical approval agency has formally authorized the vaccine.

Mexico began working on the Patria vaccine in March 2020, but progress was slow, leading to the importation of 225 million doses, primarily AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and some Chinese vaccines. In September 2022, Mexico purchased 9 million doses of the Cuban-made Abdala vaccine, which was designed to combat coronavirus variants from 2020 and 2021, rather than the current strains. Consequently, few Mexicans have opted for the Cuban booster shots.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has focused on making Mexico self-reliant in various industries while continuing to support Cuba. Álvarez-Buylla believes that this development paves the way for regaining “vaccine sovereignty.”

The official death toll from test-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mexico is nearly 334,000. However, due to limited testing in the early stages of the pandemic and the government’s review of death certificates, the actual number of deaths in which COVID-19 was a cause or contributing factor is over 505,000.