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The Chamber of Deputies today approved MP (Provisional Measure) that releases almost R $ 2 billion (R $ 1,994,960,005.00) to allow the purchase and final processing by Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz) of the vaccine against new coronavirus in development. Oxford University and marketed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
Fiocruz, linked to the Ministry of Health, signed a contract with AstraZeneca to purchase the immunizer. The signed technological order foresees the reception by Brazil of 100.4 million doses of the vaccine.
The federal government’s forecast is that 15 million doses will begin to arrive in January and February, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello reported today. The rest should arrive in the country in the first half of 2021. Fiocruz will be responsible for the final processing – formulation, filling, labeling and packaging – and quality control.
Subsequently, through technology transfer, Fiocruz is expected to be capable of producing 160 million doses in the second half of 2021.
Approval period
The MP for the opening of this extraordinary credit was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on August 6 of this year. As a deputy, it already has the force of law, but it needed to be approved in 120 days so as not to lose its validity. Now, it goes to the Federal Senate. The deadline ends on Thursday (3).
According to the federal government at the time of the MP, R $ 1.3 billion will be allocated to AstraZeneca and R $ 95.6 million will be invested in the production of the immunizer by Fiocruz. Another R $ 522.1 million will be used to pay expenses related to the final processing of the vaccine by Bio-Manguinhos, Fiocruz’s immunobiological production unit.
As the MP has the force of law, part of the money contributed has already been used.
The vaccine is in the final stage of development and has yet to be registered with Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) before it can be distributed and applied. The intention of the federal government is to make the vaccine available to the Brazilian population free of charge through the SUS (Unified Health System).
Obstruction of the opposition
The opposition temporarily lifted the obstacle – ways of delaying the progress of a session allowed by the letter – that it had been promoting in the House plenary session so that the text could be analyzed and voted on.
The delay promoted by the opposition has as main reason to press for the vote of the parliamentarian that extends the emergency aid. The group wants the text analysis to try to reverse the value of the extra fees from R $ 300 to R $ 600.
The other agendas have not been in the Chamber either due to obstacles caused by the dispute over the Mayor’s Office, whose election is scheduled for February 2021, with the participation of the government’s allied base.
Today, however, the deputies agreed on the urgency and importance of the release of R $ 1.9 billion for the purchase and production of the Oxford vaccine. However, opposition lawmakers have not stopped criticizing what they see as excessive politicization in the face of vaccine development.
The rapporteur for the parliamentarian, deputy Mariana Carvalho (PSDB-RO), rejected the changes suggested by colleagues to the original text sent by the government. One of them intended to transfer part of the funds to the Butantan Institute, linked to the São Paulo state government and which has an alliance with the Chinese laboratory Sinovac for the development of another vaccine against the new coronavirus.
“Here I want to thank all the deputies and also the Government of São Paulo, for the understanding and greatness of understanding that at this time it would not be possible to attend to these amendments to assist the Butantan Institute. We need to look for other ways,” he said.
He said that the population “does not want to know if it is vaccine A, B or C”, but wants an effective and safe vaccine. “We don’t have to get into political struggles. Our fight is to save lives and make this virus more and more a story of the past, not the present,” he added.
Health professionals and the elderly will have priority
This morning, Minister Eduardo Pazuello said that the preliminary draft for the implementation of the vaccination against covid-19 is in the last stages of preparation and will be implemented when the vaccines are registered with Anvisa. The priority groups to be vaccinated, in principle, are:
- Phase 1: health workers, people aged 75 and over, indigenous peoples
- Phase 2: people aged 60 to 74 years
- Phase 3: people with comorbidities
- Phase 4: teachers, security and rescue personnel, prison staff, prisoners
The order or priority of the groups to be vaccinated can still change, according to the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine to be applied.
Pazuello also said that the ministry will adopt the principle that no one will be forced to be vaccinated, in line with President Jair Bolsonaro (no party), but that the ministry will carry out awareness campaigns, will work to make it available everywhere and if it makes an effort. to achieve a vaccine with results, without side effects.
“With that we are going to have a very high demand, and not an obligation,” he said, adding that the ministry also awaits the position of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) in this regard.
