Mexico to move quickly on approving Sputnik vaccine

Mexico's health authorities will move quickly to authorize the use of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said on Tuesday. "The president has instructed us to proceed speedily on finalizing the process of sanitary approval," Lopez-Gatell said, speaking at a regular government news conference alongside President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Mexico's health authorities will move quickly to authorize the use of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said on Tuesday.

"The president has instructed us to proceed speedily on finalizing the process of sanitary approval," Lopez-Gatell said, speaking at a regular government news conference alongside President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Lopez-Gatell, Mexico's coronavirus czar, said national health regulator COFEPRIS would very soon make its decision on approving emergency use of the Sputnik vaccine.

Lopez-Gatell said on Monday evening Mexico was considering acquiring 24 million doses of Sputnik V. The deputy minister also noted that Mexico could begin receiving its first batches of a coronavirus vaccine made by Chinese company CanSino Biologics in February.

President Lopez Obrador said his government aimed to conclude the vaccination of the country's health workers against the coronavirus by the end of January.