Brazil Sends Mixed Vaccine Messages as Political Fight Heats Up

Written by
Julia Leite
Written by

Julia Leite

Twitter
WhatsApp
Facebook
Reddit
Email

(Bloomberg) -- Brazil's government is sending mixed messages about its vaccination program and timeline as political infighting flares once again between state governors and President Jair Bolsonaro.

After saying approval for a vaccine could take up to 60 days, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said Wednesday that a Pfizer Inc. shot could be deployed as early as this month. While the government is negotiating 70 million doses from the U.S. pharma firm, it has yet to sign a full supply contract.

“If Pfizer gets the emergency authorization and advances the delivery of some doses, it could happen by the end of December, or January,” Pazuello told CNN Brasil. “It could happen in December, for example, if we get the doses, if we close the agreement with Pfizer -- and the contract is in the works.”

The comments from Pazuello come a day after a contentious meeting he held with state governors. Newspapers reported on a bitter exchange between the minister and Sao Paulo's Joao Doria over Sinovac Biotech Ltd.'s CoronaVac.

Pazuello is the third health minister this year alone and recently returned to work after a battle with Covid-19. A group of governors recently asked the government to expedite a nationwide vaccination plan.

Any early-stage vaccinations would be “in small amounts, for emergency use only,” Pazuello said. The government has mostly bet on the vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca Plc and Oxford University, saying it could purchase up to 300 million shots, part of which will be produced locally by Fiocruz.

On Tuesday, Doria said on Twitter that he appealed to the minister to act with a sense of urgency and questioned why the Chinese-developed shot his government has sponsored is not included in national plans.

Pazuello responded that any vaccine that obtains Anvisa's approval and proves effective will be purchased by the government.

Earlier this week, Doria said his state will start vaccinating on Jan. 25, even though results from a phase 3 trial are still pending. State health officials expect to file paperwork with the nation's health regulator Anvisa by Dec. 15 to obtain approval.

The political infighting over Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic has spread to the vaccine. Doria, a potential presidential candidate in 2022, has had repeated run-ins with Bolsonaro and is trying to fast-track the use of CoronaVac in Brazil's most-populous state.

Brazil has been overrun by the virus, with the second-most deaths and third-most cases globally. Hospital beds are filling up once again in major state capitals in signs of a second wave or the continuation of a first that never fully passed.

Bolsonaro, who says he doesn't trust a Chinese cure against coronavirus “due to its origin,” doesn't plan to be vaccinated but said the shots will be available to everyone for free if they so wish.

“Brazil will supply a voluntary and free vaccine once its efficacy has been proven and it's been registered by Anvisa,” Bolsonaro said on his Twitter account late Tuesday. “We're going to protect the population by respecting liberties and won't use this for political ends, putting people's health at risk for personal pursuits of power.”

‘Can't do December'

While Pfizer is working to start vaccinating in Brazil “right after” getting emergency authorization from the regulator, local country chief Carlos Murillo said the firm can only deliver the shots in January.

“We can't do December. The goal for us would have to be January,” he told lawmakers in a virtual hearing on Tuesday. “As for quantities, we need to work with the health ministry. It would start small and then scale up.”

Read More: Pfizer Faces Vaccine Supply Challenges After Covid Trial Glory

The number of doses Brazil gets will depend on when the contract is signed and when Pfizer gets the emergency authorization, Murillo said. He estimated Pfizer could vaccinate “a couple million” Brazilians in the first quarter of 2021.