MEXICO CITY (AP) – Four doses of the new coronavirus vaccine were stolen from a public hospital in the city of Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City, probably by a hospital employee or with the help of an employee. the Ministry of National Defense reported Tuesday.
“This abduction could be carried out by a dishonest act of personal interest on the part of a member of the hospital’s vaccination team,” the agency said in a statement.
The Army has been responsible for transporting and protecting the vaccines in Mexico, but apparently a private security company was in charge of the doses inside the hospital.
Before Tuesday, Mexico had received about 750,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer, and several people had been sanctioned for skipping the line to receive the doses. The number of doses that Mexico has received so far is enough to inoculate half of the 750,000 front-line medical workers, since they all need two doses.
On the same Tuesday, Mexican authorities launched a campaign calling on people to return rented oxygen tanks that they no longer need, noting that huge demand amid the pandemic has led to a shortage of cylinders.
The Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office (Profeco) launched an online campaign under the slogan “Give back your tank. For the love of life ”.
As hospitals in Mexico City and other states are overwhelmed by a flood of COVID-19 cases, many families have turned to treating their relatives at home with supplemental oxygen, creating a shortage of tanks and oxygen. to fill them.
But once patients recover, many people just keep the cylinders in case someone else gets sick, Profeco noted.
“This is depriving other patients who require it at the moment and cannot access one,” the agency added.
The oxygen shortage has led to theft.
On Tuesday, in the Tultepec municipality, north of Mexico City, police chased a small cargo truck carrying dozens of oxygen tanks because the vehicle had been reported stolen. Two suspects were arrested at the scene.
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