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At least 50 large companies are negotiating the purchase of a batch of 33 million doses of the Astrazeneca / Oxford vaccine. The goal is to donate at least half to SUS and use the rest to immunize workers.
The initiative was shaken by the withdrawal of Vale and the banks, but remains firm, according to the CNN. A survey is being conducted on the interest of different sectors such as steel, automotive, machinery and equipment, etc.
If the plan is successful, the first 11 million doses would arrive in the country in February and would be donated in full to SUS.
The fear of public health specialists is that this type of initiative will end up competing with the Brazilian government in the purchase of immunizers. However, according to a source involved in the matter, this batch was produced by the Astrazeneca factory in England and is reserved for negotiations with the private sector.
The dose costs almost US $ 25, well above the US $ 5 paid by the Brazilian government. “If Brazilian companies do not buy, companies from other countries will buy,” one businessman told CNN with the commitment of anonymity. Wanted, Astrazeneca has yet to respond.
The federal government has closely followed the talks and has filed some lawsuits. The import of doses must pass through the Anvisa sieve, at least 50% must be donated to the SUS and the doses cannot be sold, but used only to vaccinate workers.
This is the second private initiative for the direct purchase of vaccines. The Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics (ABCVac) negotiates the purchase of doses of Covaxin, manufactured in India, to sell them to companies that want to immunize their workers. The emergency use of Covaxin has not yet been approved in Brazil.
