CHICAGO — Millions of Moderna vaccine doses lifted off from O’Hare International Airport Tuesday are headed to Guatemala, a country struggling with COVID-19.
This is the second time in the last two weeks American Airlines has flown vaccine to the central American country. The first shipment was July 8, with one and a half million doses.
With a population of about 18 million, Guatemala only has about 258,000 of its citizens fully vaccinated — and has a rest positivity rate of nearly 30 percent.
The three-million doses being delivered Tuesday is a donation from the United States. The Biden administration has pledged upwards of 80 million doses to two countries around the world to help in the fight against COVID-19.
The 777-300 aircraft is scheduled to land in Guatemala City Tuesday afternoon. The vaccine will be unloaded and distributed likely by the end of this week.