MEXICO CITY, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Mexico will begin vaccinating children between 5 and 11 years old against COVID-19 in the coming days, following the completion of six immunization phases, Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion Hugo Lopez-Gatell announced Tuesday.

       The official said the process will be carried out by municipalities, with registration starting on Thursday.

       "In essence, the policy has been very consistent with what we planned from the beginning," Lopez-Gatell told journalists from the National Palace in Mexico City.

       The country began its national vaccination program at the end of 2020 in phases divided into age groups that started with the elderly.

       For the upcoming phase, authorities estimate that 15.4 million children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be vaccinated.

       Mexico registered its first COVID-19 case at the end of February 2020 and as of June 13 this year, it accumulated 5,825,532 positive cases and 325,205 related deaths.