Mexico’s president said Thursday he now plans to get the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to boost confidence in the shot after it was linked to a rare blood-clotting disorder.
The vaccine is one of several being used for people for people over 60 in Mexico’s current round of vaccinations, and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday the benefits far outweigh any risks.
“This is the one I’m going to get, AstraZeneca, as long as it helps build confidence” in the shot, he said.
The 67-year-old Mexican leader has been on-again, off-again about getting vaccinated. He was infected with the new coronavirus in January and said Monday he wouldn’t get a vaccine because his doctors told him he still has a high level of antibodies.
The European Union’s drug regulator has said there is a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare clotting disorder. Spain has limited the shot to those over 60 and Belgium to those over 55. In the United Kingdom, authorities say the shot should not be given to adults under 30 where possible.
Mexico has not announced any restrictions on the shot. Mexico is currently using a half dozen vaccines and has approved another for use. It has administered over 10 million doses so far in a country with a population of 126 million.
The country has tallied almost 206,000 test-confirmed COVID-19 deaths, though the government puts the real COVID toll at over 325,000.
