Sonora, Arizona’s neighbor to the south, is hoping to soon be able to acquire vaccines on its own.

State officials recently sent letters of interest to AstraZeneca and the makers of the Russian vaccine Sputnik.

“In coming days we will continue exploring the best options in terms of price and delivery times,” said Sonoran Health Secretary Enrique Clausen.

The federal government intends to allow states to purchase vaccines on their own, according to Clausen.

Vaccination started earlier this month, with the first round focused on frontline health care workers. Cases and deaths in Sonora have been rising sharply in recent weeks, and new daily records have recently been set.