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Amid criticism about the delay in the purchase of vaccines and the preparation of the national immunization plan, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said on Thursday (17) that Brazil is at the forefront of planning and that the country will receive 62 , 4 million doses for February.
Pazuello included immunizations from AstraZeneca, Butantan, and Pfizer / BioNTech in this estimate. The minister even emphasized the possibility of handing over Coronavac – a partnership between the Butantan Institute and the Chinese Sinovac – but on the other hand he criticized the terms presented by the American Pfizer.
The new version of the vaccination plan, released on Wednesday, did not report the schedule and total estimated doses for the first months of 2021. The doses in negotiation with Butantan, whose vaccine was again mentioned in the document as one of the bets of the country to offer the population.
Pazuello explained that 24.7 million doses are expected to be delivered throughout January, 15 million of which come from AstraZeneca, about 9 million from the Butantan Institute and another 500,000 from Pfizer.
In February, he argues, there will be another 37.7 million doses, mainly due to the greater supply of the Butantan Institute.
The minister responded to criticism from the government about the slowness in the purchase of vaccines. At a time when countries like the United States and England begin to receive doses of immunizations, Pazuello said that the country “is not being hit” in terms of vaccines.
“As we build all these possibilities and numbers, we are at the forefront. They do not run us over, we are at the forefront ”, he said, during the participation in a thematic session in the Senate.
The minister also spoke out critically on the vaccine supply proposal of the American company Pfizer, which recently gained prominence in obtaining emergency authorizations from the United Kingdom and the United States. Immunization has even begun to be applied to the population of these two countries.
Pazuello said that the US company informed that it will not be responsible for the secondary effects of the administration of the vaccine in the population and that it does not want to be judged by the Brazilian Judicial Power.
“When we talk about Pfizer, and here I post that I followed the first Pfizer meeting in our ministry, the positions of the CEO of the company were really difficult. And he kept saying, ‘No, of course! Let’s do’. Total exemption of any responsibility for secondary effects of the company – exemption of 100% ”, said the minister.
“Anyone who has been sick with the Pfizer vaccine will not be liable to Pfizer if we sign the contract in this way. Did you know that? I think not.”
“Pfizer doesn’t want to be tried in our courts, either. You do not agree to be challenged in our courts. We have to sign a clause that says that it will only respond in international courts, not in Brazil, “he added.
Pazuello also stated that the company will not deliver the diluent for the vaccine and that it had not provided mechanisms to preserve immunization, which requires special storage conditions, with -70ORC.
The minister also affirmed that the quantity offered – 500 thousand doses per month – is well below the Brazilian needs.
“This was Pfizer’s initial proposal, well, the first proposal. And the second proposal just changed the styrofoam box [para armazenamento]”, said.
