Mexican president urges UN to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccine

Aerial photo shows citizens waiting in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac at a vaccination site in Ecatepec, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2021. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

More than 100 countries around the world have yet to receive a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Lopez Obrador said during his daily press conference, accompanied by his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez.

MEXICO CITY, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday urged the United Nations (UN) to intervene to ensure equitable access to vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on behalf of poorer nations.

More than 100 countries around the world have yet to receive a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Lopez Obrador said during his daily press conference, accompanied by his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez.

"That is totally unfair. Where is the universal brotherhood?" Lopez Obrador said, after welcoming Fernandez.

"So the UN has to intervene because it looks like a decorative vase (otherwise). And it is an agreement by all governments that must be enforced," he added.

Taking the podium, Fernandez said both Argentina and Mexico have a duty to be united towards "a common future" that helps all of Latin America.

"From the northernmost country in Latin America to the southernmost country in Latin America, we have to be able to draw an axis that unites the entire continent," said Fernandez, who arrived in Mexico Monday morning on a three-day visit.

Mexico launched a nationwide vaccination campaign in December, initially targeting healthcare workers and older adults in poorer areas.

Mexico has reported 2,043,632 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 180,536 deaths from the disease as of Monday night, according to the Ministry of Health.