Mexico.
The inhabitants of the indigenous city of San Juan Cancuc, in the Mexican state of Chiapas (south), rejected the possibility of applying the vaccine against covid-19, local authorities reported.
In a letter to health officials in the area, the mayor of the city, José López, said that the decision was subject to consultation and that just over 24,000 residents decided not to will vaccinate.
“Only two people voluntarily want to apply the vaccine,” the official said in a letter to a local health official, known to AFP on Friday.
López pointed out that a meeting with municipal assistants and community health committees took place on January 28, where the benefits and possible side effects of biological.
“In San Juan Cancuc, the vaccination campaign against covid-19 will not take place at the application stage for the elderly and at no other stage,” the mayor said, without delving into the arguments of residents.
In communities like San Juan CancucWith a Mayan Tseltal population, many decisions are made by the “Usos y Customs” system, an indigenous self-government that civilian authorities usually respect.
These localities have their own health committees, as well as courts of peace and reconciliation.
According to a 2020 census in Mexico7.3 million people speak an indigenous language, the main criterion for determining the identity of the respective sector of the population.
Several indigenous villages from Chiapas They were the scene of riots last year, after spreading false rumors that denied the existence of covid-19 or accused the authorities of spreading the virus through fumigations.
In some villages, the inhabitants even organized to prevent the passage of medical personnel who performed pandemic information and prevention operations.
Mexico was the first Latin American country to be vaccinated against covid-19 on December 24, followed on the same day by Chile and Costa Rica.
Until now, only the formula of the American-German company has been used Pfizer / BioNTech immunization of health personnel throughout the country and teachers in the state of Campeche (south).
Mexico, with 126 million inhabitants, has so far 1,899,820 confirmed cases of the disease and 162,922 deaths.