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 this evening (May 3).

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 during a regular news conference.

So far Mexico has administered one vaccine dose to some 10 per cent of its 126 million inhabitants. Lopez-Gatell said that by mid-July, 20 per cent 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 per cent above the confirmed figure.