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SAO PAULO: Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa said on Monday (December 14) that China’s health authorities are not transparent in their authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, a statement that may still inflame. plus the political tension in the South American country.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a constant critic of China, has repeatedly cast doubt on the CoronaVac vaccine being developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech.
Meanwhile, Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, an enemy of Bolsonaro, said the state expected to start vaccinating its residents in January, although Brazil’s most populous state will not be able to use CoronaVac until it is approved by Anvisa.
“Brazil is the international leader in the CoronaVac evaluation process,” Anvisa said in a statement on its website on Monday.
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“The vaccine has had an emergency use authorization in China since June this year. The Chinese criteria for granting emergency use authorization are not transparent and there is no information available on the criteria currently in use by the Chinese authorities to take these. decisions “.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbing said on Tuesday that China had attached “great importance” to the safety and efficacy of its vaccines.
While Brazil’s health regulator has been largely apolitical, Bolsonaro has been appointing allies for him in recent months, fueling fears among health professionals that his decisions may be affected by political considerations.
At least tens of thousands of people have taken the Sinovac vaccine in China’s emergency use program, officially launched in July, which targets limited groups of high-risk people.
China has not released the details of how it determines whether a new coronavirus vaccine is qualified for emergency use. His National Health Commission did not respond to a request for comment.
A representative for Sinovac declined to comment, but referred to a press conference in October in which a health official said the emergency inoculation was started after rigorous reviews and in accordance with China’s laws and regulations. World Health Organization.
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These vaccines showed “very good safety and immunogenicity readings in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials,” the official said at the time.
CoronaVac is undergoing phase 3 testing in Sao Paulo.
Doria said on Monday that efficacy data would be released on December 23, eight days later than initially planned, to allow for a larger sample size and more comprehensive analysis.
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