AstraZeneca vaccines sent to Mexico from Baltimore plant safe – deputy health minister
Millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine manufactured at a U.S. plant that had a contamination issue and then shipped to Mexico are safe and have been approved by two regulators, Mexico’s deputy health minister stated.
The doses were sent to Mexico as part of an agreement with the administration of President Joe Biden for 2.7 million shots of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to help supplement Mexico’s vaccination campaign amid global delays and shortages.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) halted production at the U.S. plant in Baltimore which produced the vaccines while it investigated an error that led to millions of doses being ruined last month.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell confirmed the vaccines Mexico received were produced at the same Baltimore plant but reiterated they were safe, and had been evaluated by the FDA as well as Mexican health regulator COFEPRIS.
“So, we are certain that it was a safe, quality product, the one that we put to Mexican people, 2.7 million,” Lopez Gatell said during a regular news conference. “No dose would have been released if not all requirements had been met.”