Guatemala, El Salvador receive first vaccines

Guatemala and El Salvador both received Thursday the first coronavirus vaccines brokered through the COVAX mechanism.

The UN-backed COVAX initiative is a programme to ensure that the world's most vulnerable people are inoculated, but has so far struggled to help nations across the globe.

Guatemala received 81,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and is the third country in the region to acquire them, following Colombia and Peru.

The Ministry of Health said that at least 6.6 million vaccines were negotiated through the mechanism, but only the doses that arrived today have been received and paid for.

Dr. Maria Amelia Flores, Minister of Health, said the first doses received will strengthen the COVID-19 vaccination process.

According to official reports, Guatemala has registered 181,143 cases and 6,531 deaths from the disease.

Shortly after in El Salvador, Minister of Health Francisco Alabí, accompanied by members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) received the first batch of 33,600 doses of vaccines donated by the mechanism.

Alabi explained that AstraZeneca's vaccines will be administered to healthcare workers who directly care for patients affected by the coronavirus.

On February 17, El Salvador received its first batch of 20,000 doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca purchased with its own funds.