Bolsonaro: Brazil will buy any vaccine certified by Anvisa

resident Jair Bolsonaro said Monday (Nov. 9) that the government will purchase and make available any vaccine against COVID-19 that is approved by the Health Ministry and certified by the country’s national sanitary regulator Anvisa.

“Provided it is approved by the Ministry of Health and certified by Anvisa, the federal government will purchase it and make it available, but it will by no means be mandatory,” Bolsonaro said during a live broadcast on his social media.

Emergency allowance

Bolsonaro also mentioned the emergency allowance as one of the tools created by the federal government to fight the effects brought about by the pandemic of the novel coronavirus.

“If it weren’t for the emergency allowance of R$600 ($113.59) for five months—and now a R$300 ($56.79) addition until the end of the year—our economy would have gone down the drain, so it was really difficult as there was no money in the government. We went into debt,” he said.

The benefit is directed at informal and self-employed workers, individual micro entrepreneurs, and the unemployed as a way to provide emergency protection during the crisis prompted by COVID-19. The allowance started being paid in April, and was initially established as three installments of $113.59.

In June, the government extended the allowance for yet another two payments of the same value. Now, with another four, lower installments, the benefit will be extended until the end of the year.