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Brazil will have a vaccine approved and ready to be used by the population against covid-19 between January and June of next year, said the president-director of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), Antonio Barra Torres, highlighting that the agency regulator – although it has not yet made a decision on the percentage of effectiveness of future immunization, it has admitted previous vaccines with less than 50%
“I believe, from what we have observed, that the time for this to happen will be sometime between the first month and the sixth month of 2021, that is, in the first half of 2021. For now, this is what I think of face to what we have seen, “Barra Torres said in an interview with Reuters.
“Obviously this can change, I hope not, I hope we stay within that period of time, but it is an estimate that yes,” he added. “Some people are less optimistic, others are even more optimistic, they think that before, I think it is not possible before, I would have something between January and June 2021”
The executive director of Anvisa said that there is a worldwide discussion on the percentage of effectiveness of the vaccine and that, for now, there is no consensus. He said the agency did not define this issue, but emphasized that one is in a “totally different” pandemic situation, with a very high capacity to cause not only deaths but post-healed sequelae.
Barra Torres said that the agency has already accepted flu vaccines with a percentage below 50%.
Armor
In the interview, the general director of Anvisa did not want to enter into the dispute involving the authorities of Brasilia and São Paulo over the possible use of the Chinese vaccine by Sinovac, which will be produced by the Butantan Institute, for use by the Brazilian population.
Barra Torres ensured a technical analysis of all immunization requests that can be submitted to the regulatory agency; there are currently four in test.
“Anvisa’s shield (in political discussions) is the high qualification of its employees and the deep dedication of these same employees to find the appropriate solutions to the problem. This is the greatest shield. And of course, we, its directors, are five, we are not involved with any political issue, “he said.
“These issues do not interest us and we regret that at a time like this they gain prominence before the press and before society because in reality the enemy is not this, the enemy is the virus and he needs us to be united to fight it. here at the agency we continue to focus on work and remembering that our north is, always has been and always will be science ”, he added.
“Politics for politicians, Caesar what is Caesar’s and God what is God’s,” he added.
