Brazilian President Jair Bolosonaro snubs Chinese COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans

Brazilian Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello’s attempts to acquire a potential Chinese COVID-19 vaccine were overruled by President Jair Bolosonaro who stated that Brazil's people will not be anyone's 'guinea pigs'. Pazuello is reported to have announced the purchase of roughly 46 million doses of CoronaVac at the estimated cost of $360 million on Tuesday, October 20 but the purchase was nullified by Bolosonaro who stated that the potential vaccine was still in the testing phase.

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Bolosonaro unwilling to gamble of potential COVID-19 vaccine

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries like the US and Canada have already invested millions in potential COVID-19 vaccines in an effort to build up a stockpile in the event that the drugs prove effective; these investments are usually non-refundable even if the vaccine fails. As per reports, the Brazilian Health Minister during the announcement was accompanied by Sao Paulos Governor Joo Doria who is a vocal opponent of Bolosonaro.

Bolosonaro and Doris, the governor of one of Brazil’s most populous regions, have clashed when it comes to tackling COVID-19 restrictions. As per reports, Dori has decided to take the advice of health experts and stock up on potential vaccines while Bolosonaro has stated that the potential economic fallout may kill more Brazilians than the disease.

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Joo Doria initially supported Bolosonaro in the 2018 elections but since the election, he has distanced himself from the Brazilian President and is also being considered as a possible challenger to Bolosonaro in the 2022 elections. As per the John Hopkins Coronavirus resource centre, Brazil has reported over 5 million positive COVID-19 cases and has a death toll of just over 150,000. Brazil currently has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic which saw its first outbreak in a wet market in Wuhan, China last year has now spread all across the world. The virus, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation, has infected over 40 million people worldwide with the global death toll crossing 1,100,000. The US has reported more than 8 million positive COVID-19 cases and a death toll of over 226,000.

(With AP inputs, Image AP)

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