TODAY NICARAGUA – Nearly 8,000 Nicaraguans received COVID-19 vaccines at two customs border crossings with neighboring Honduras in recent days, Honduran health authorities said on Monday, as supplies of the inoculations in Nicaragua have run low.
Promoting the vaccines for Nicaraguans, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez wrote in a post on Twitter that “the solidarity and brotherhood of Hondurans crosses borders.” He added that up to 500 doses were being given out daily to Nicaraguans.
La solidaridad y hermandad de los hondureños traspasa las fronteras. Habilitamos punto de vacunación en frontera con 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐚 para aplicar de 250 a 500 dosis
al día contra el Covid-19 a nuestros hermanos nicaragüenses.
— Juan Orlando H. (@JuanOrlandoH) October 25, 2021
Honduran health authorities also pitched the cross-border assistance as a way to help beat back the risk of more infections at home.
“They don’t have access to vaccines in Nicaragua and that becomes a risk for us due to the significant movement of people along the border,” said Honduran regional health official Jose Maria Paguada.
Recuerden que hay un flujo migratorio de un país a otro, vacunar a 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐚, es vacunarnos a nosotros. Se va a coordinar para que se haga un trabajo de buena atención, que sea efectivo.
— Juan Orlando H. (@JuanOrlandoH) October 25, 2021
Officials in Nicaragua did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The border vaccines doled out in Honduras’ southwestern Choluteca department utilize donated inoculations made by Moderna and Pfizer, and will go through Nov. 6 for first doses, with second doses to follow, Honduran officials said.
To date, Honduras has confirmed more than 370,000 coronavirus infections and nearly 10,200 deaths as a result of the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the virus.
Article originally appeared on Today Nicaragua and is republished here with permission.
