Guatemala and Honduras will receive their first shipments of COVID-19 vaccine doses via the COVAX mechanism this week, government officials and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.
Guatemala said it is expecting 81,600 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine on Thursday, which it purchased through the global COVAX facility, led by the GAVI vaccines alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote equitable access to the vaccine.
Guatemala's government said in a statement it had requested a total of 6.74 million doses from COVAX.
That adds to 5,000 vaccine doses donated to Guatemala by Israel and another 200,000 doses donated by India, it added.
Separately, PAHO, the WHO's regional office for the Americas, said Honduras will on Saturday receive its first 48,000 donated vaccine doses through COVAX.
It is the initial shipment of an expected 139,200 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine expected to arrive in the country in the coming weeks from COVAX.
Honduras in February also received a donation of 5,000 vaccine doses from Israel.
The Central American country is eligible to receive vaccine donations from COVAX to cover 20% of its population, or about 2 million people.
COVAX agreed to increase the amount of doses sent in March after Honduras requested priority, citing the devastating effects of two hurricanes last year.
"PAHO and the World Health Organization ratifies its commitment to Honduras to achieve equitable access to vaccines against COVID-19," PAHO representative Piedad Huerta said on government television.
Honduras is scheduled to receive 424,800 doses between March and May, Huerta said.
PAHO has placed orders with the Serum Institute of India for 135,000 doses for Nicaragua, the organization's director, Carissa Etienne, told a news conference on Wednesday.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele wrote on Twitter that the country would receive 33,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via COVAX on Thursday.
(Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; writing by Cassandra Garrison; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
