Mexico hopes to finish vaccinating its population in early 2022

[May 04, 2021]  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico hopes to finish vaccinating its entire population against COVID-19 by the end of next year's first quarter, Mexico's deputy health minister, Hugo Lopez-Gatell, said Monday evening.

The projection takes into consideration global delays in vaccination production and vaccine delivery to Mexico, said Lopez-Gatell, who has spearheaded the country's response to the coronavirus.

"We hope to have vaccinated the entire population, those that hope to get vaccinated, by the end of the first quarter 2022," he said at a regular news conference.

So far Mexico has administered one vaccine dose to some 10% of its 126 million inhabitants. Lopez-Gatell said that by mid-July, 20% of the population will have received at least one dose.

The Health Ministry earlier in the day reported 1,027 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 112 more deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 2,349,900 and fatalities to 217,345.

Separate government data published in March suggested the real death toll may be at least 60% above the confirmed figure.

(Reporting by Noe Torres and Dave Graham; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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