Brazil's President says coronavirus vaccinations 'will not be mandatory'

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on September 3, reportedly said that the coronavirus vaccine will not be mandatory when they become available. The right-wing leaning President is known for constantly downplaying the seriousness of the virus. In a Facebook live chat with his supporters, President said “Many people want the vaccine to be applied in a coercive way, but there is no law that provides for that.”

Read: Brazil Records 46,934 New Coronavirus Cases, Tally Approaches 4 Million Mark

Vice President Hamilton Mourão said earlier that mass vaccination was inevitable to fight the pandemic in Brazil, but was firmly in line with Bolsonaro’s stance. “There is no way for the government – unless we live in a dictatorship – to force everyone to get vaccinated,” Mourão said in a radio interview.

Brazil Records 46,934 New Coronavirus Cases

On September 2, the Brazilian Health Ministry said Brazil reported 46,934 new cases of the coronavirus and 1,184 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours. Currently, virus cases in Brazil have almost risen to four million, according to the latest data by John Hopkins University, Brazil has registered 3,997,865 cases of contagious coronavirus, and the death toll has risen to 123,780, according to ministry data. Brazil is the second-worst country hit by the COVID-19 pandemic after the United States of America.

Read: Brazil’s Environment Ministry Says Government Released Funds To Fight Deforestation

Brazil begins trial of Chinese vaccine

The Brazilian city of Niterói in Rio de Janeiro state has begun testing a coronavirus vaccine produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac. The trial is being conducted by a partnership between the city government, the Butantan Institute, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Some 800 of the city's healthcare workers have already applied to participate in the study as volunteers to receive the vaccine. Five other Brazilian states are participating in the Sinovac tests, with 9,000 volunteers in total. Rafael Bastos, an anesthesiologist who volunteered to receive the vaccine, is confident the trial will be a success. "It can solve our public health problem, not only in Brazil but in the world," Bastos said September 1.

(Image Credit-AP) 

Read: Brazil Begins Trial Of Chinese Made Coronavirus Vaccine

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