Mexico has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for children 12 and older.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell confirmed the approval Thursday on Twitter. He called it another step toward protecting Mexican people from the coronavirus.
Mexico now joins a growing number of countries that have approved the vaccine for use in adolescents — including the United States, which started administering shots to kids 12 and older in May.
However, Mexico isn’t planning to vaccine children anytime soon.
"First we're going to finish vaccinating everyone over 18 by October," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during a press Friday, reiterating his promise that all adults would have at least one dose of the vaccine before by the fall.
He said plans for vaccinating children would roll out once that goal was accomplished.
So far just more than 30% of adults are fully vaccinated. And the country is currently working to get shots to people ages 40-49 nationwide.
