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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took to social media to criticize the Chinese-made vaccine that his health ministry had agreed to buy a few hours earlier.
Brazil’s Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, the third person to hold the post this year during the coronavirus pandemic, is in trouble with President Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro took to social media to overrule his minister on Wednesday after a series of negative comments from his supporters who oppose the purchase of the Coronavac vaccine being developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. The agreement to buy the vaccine being will distribute nationwide was announced the day before. by the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the state of Sao Paulo whose Instituto Butantan is working with Sinovac.
“The Brazilian people WILL NOT BE ANYONE’S GUINEA PIG,” the president wrote on his Facebook and Twitter pages, adding that billions of millions cannot be spent on drugs that are still being tested. “My decision is not to purchase the aforementioned vaccine.”
Bolsonaro, who called it “Joao Doria’s Chinese vaccine,” in reference to the São Paulo governor, said his government will not buy any vaccine before the Health Ministry and regulator Anvisa approve it. Doria, a former ally turned rival, has been promoting the work with the Chinese firm.
Following a meeting with Doria, Pazuello said the government had signed a preliminary agreement to purchase 46 million doses of the Butantan-Sinovac vaccine. The purchase would only be made after regulator Anvisa had approved the drug, according to a statement.
Doria responded to Bolsonaro asking him for a greater understanding of the medication and asking him not to vent it to the minister. Two of Bolsonaro’s health ministers came out this year over disagreements over his handling of the pandemic, including lockdown measures and the use of unproven treatments.
Doria and Bolsonaro have publicly discussed everything from social distancing to wearing face masks and whether or not vaccinations should be mandatory during this tumultuous year. The municipal elections next month have added more tension to the public debate.
Earlier this week, the Sao Paulo government said that Coronavac’s phase 3 trial had shown the vaccine to be the safest available so far, although its efficacy has yet to be demonstrated.
The federal government has already agreed to buy the vaccines being developed by AstraZeneca and Covax, for a total of 186 million doses. Brazil has been one of the countries most affected by the virus, with around 5.3 million confirmed cases and 154,837 deaths from the respiratory disease.
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