Brazilian Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello’s attempts to acquire a potential Chinese COVID-19 vaccine were neglected by President Jair Bolosonaro. He stated that Brazil’s people will not be anyone’s ‘guinea pigs’. Pazuello has 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. He stated that the potential vaccine was still in the testing phase.
Bolosonaro unwilling to gamble of potential vaccine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries like the US and Canada have already invested millions in potential COVID-19 vaccines. Everyone is making 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. According to reports, the Brazilian Health Minister was accompanied by Sao Paulos Governor Joo Doria. Doria is a vocal opponent of Bolosonaro.
Bolosonaro and Doris, the governor of one of Brazil’s most populous regions, have clashed on tackling COVID-19 restrictions. Reports say that Dori has decided to take the advice of health experts and stock up on potential vaccines. On the contrary, Bolosonaro thinks that the potential economic fallout may kill more Brazilians than the disease.
Joao Doria initially supported Bolosonaro in the 2018 elections. But since the election, he has distanced himself from the President and is also a possible challenger to Bolosonaro in the 2022 elections. Brazil has reported over 5 million positive COVID-19 cases and has a death toll of just over 150,000. Furthermore, Brazil has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world.
The pandemic saw its first outbreak in a wet market in Wuhan, China last year. It has now spread all across the world. The virus, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation, has infected over 40 million people worldwide. The global death toll has crossed 1,100,000. The US has reported more than 8 million positive COVID-19 cases and a death toll of over 220,000.
