MPF accuses ministry of withdrawing from CoronaVac deal

The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) opened a preliminary investigation and demanded explanations from the Ministry of Health about the setback in relation to the agreement announced last week for the purchase of 46 million doses of CoronaVac for inclusion in the National Immunization Program, he said. the MPF in São Paulo this Monday.

Last week, President Jair Bolsonaro reversed the decision of the Minister of Health, Eduardo Pazuello, who signed a protocol with the Butantan Institute for the purchase of the vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac in partnership with Butantan.

The MPF opened a procedure to monitor the vaccination planning of the Brazilian population against Covid-19 and the immunizers that will be used, as well as the criteria and motivations for the choice, the institution reported, in an initiative that has the support of the São Paulo prosecutors. , Rio Grande do Sul and Pernambuco.

“An official letter was sent to the Ministry of Health on what measures will be adopted to implement the agreement signed with the Butantan Institute, in addition to information on the testing stage for each of the possible immunizers,” said the MPF.

The MPF also demanded explanations about a possible “plan change” due to Bolsonaro’s statement on Twitter saying that the CoronaVac vaccine would not be purchased.

“If so, what is the current planning? What are the technical justifications for the new leadership and what are the expected vaccine quantities?” Questioned the prosecutors responsible for the investigation.

Prosecutors also question the decision to consider only the so-called Oxford vaccine on the Ministry of Health’s calendar, not including the others that are under development around the world.

Wanted, the Health Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the MPF’s action.

The MPF also requests information from the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), Butantan and the São Paulo State Health Secretariat on the matter.