UPDATE - Mexico City Begins Vaccination Of Elderly With 2nd Component Of Russia's COVID Vaccine

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published March 16, 2021 | 05:10 AM

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2021) Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced the start of the second phase of immunization of the elderly population with the coronavirus vaccine developed by Russia's Gamaleya Institute.

"The use of the second dose of Sputnik V vaccines in the municipalities of Tlahuac, Xochimilco and Iztacalco will begin on March 17. It is important to have a vaccination certificate, this stage is for those who received the first component, since the components are different," the mayor said on Twitter.

The Russian Sputnik V vaccine was approved for use in Mexico on February 2, and the first batch of the first vaccine component was delivered on February 22.

Vaccination with this component took place from February 24 to March 5. The second component of the vaccine was supplied to Mexico on March 10, the planned dates of use are March 17-26.

Since the beginning of the vaccination program, authorities have distributed 4.33 million doses of various vaccines, according to the Mexican Secretariat of Health. The Russian vaccine is used among the population over 60 years old in the municipalities with the highest mortality rates from COVID-19.

Since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, Mexico has registered 2,166,290 cases, with over 1.7 million recoveries and 194,710 deaths. A total of 43,317 people are currently sick.