A US loan of vaccines to Mexico will ultimately help the United States combat the pandemic and will have no impact on domestic vaccine supply for its own citizens, senior government officials said on Friday.

Earlier this week, the US announced plans to loan 4 million AstraZeneca vaccines to Mexico and Canada, including 2.5 million to Mexico. AstraZeneca has not yet been approved in the United States.

Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that said as neighbors, both Mexico and Canada have "similar interests" with regards to the pandemic.

"We want to make sure we're doing our part as well in beating back this pandemic," she said. "There are no borders when it comes to this pandemic. It's important that we do our part and make sure we're mitigating the infections that we're seeing.

Jean-Pierre added that discussions with Mexico over the vaccine are "in parallel" to conversations occurring about border security and migration issues. US officials have now repeatedly refuted reports that the vaccine assistance to Mexico is tied to Mexico cracking down on a surge of migrants at the border.

"There are multiple interests in that relationship," he said. "We had the vaccine, and we're making sure we're doing our part." 

Earlier this week, the US announced plans to loan 4 million AstraZeneca vaccines to Mexico and Canada, including 2.5 million to Mexico.

Domestically, Jean-Pierre said that while the government builds up its capacity to deal with the influx of migrants at the border, the President hopes to come together with Republicans to "come to a solution".

White House says US loan of vaccines to Mexico not tied to border security efforts

"He wants bipartisanship. He wants Republicans and Democrats to come together," she said. "Let's actually come together and try to fix the problem." 

At a separate press conference in Washington DC, Jeffrey Zients, the current White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, said that the US is "committed" to working with the international community on Covid-19 vaccines.

At the same time, Zients sought to reassure Americans that a vaccine loan to Mexico does not impact availability for US citizens.

"As we await the results of the (AstraZeneca) trials here in the US, many countries have already approved AstraZeneca, but need more supply, and that includes Canada and Mexico," he said. "This action will allow our neighbors to meet a crucial vaccination need in their own countries, providing more protection immediately across the North American continent."

"To be clear, this loan will not reduce the available supply of vaccines to Americans. The doses we are loaning are not approved of use in the United States. No American will be without a vaccine because of this action," he said.