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One million donated vaccines set to arrive in Mexico could be used for tourism sector

Mexico City, Mexico — A shipment of Johnson & Johnson vaccines being donated by the US could be sent to Quintana Roo. On Thursday, the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell reported that Quintana Roo could be one of the states set to receive the vaccines along with Baja California Sur and other states along the northern border.

López-Gatell said that the million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine set to arrive in Mexico could be used in high-tourist areas, adding that these areas where the predominant economic activity is tourism would be devastated by the return to a red epidemiological light.

“So from the different additional vaccines that we are receiving, we have considered tourist areas. The two most characteristic are right now in a phase of epidemic growth are Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur,” he commented.

He also said that the border area could benefit from vaccines from the United States, which would contribute to the synchronization of prevention and control activities on both sides of the border, referring to the cross-border vaccination program between Tijuana and San Diego.

During the National Palace press conference, he commented that he met with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to address the matter, noting that the federal government’s vaccination plan was designed several months in advance but has been periodically reviewed based on the development of the Covid-19 epidemic.

“We have a Technical Advisory Group on Vaccination that reviews scientific information and meets weekly, sometimes twice a week, to identify new challenges and new opportunities,” he said.

The news of their possible use in high-tourism areas comes a day after Quintana Roo continued with its push to see tourism personnel considered a priority in the federal vaccination plan. Last week, Mexico approved the emergency use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.