Bolsonaro: COVID-19 immunization plan nearly ready

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said during a live broadcast on his social media Thursday (Nov. 26), that a countrywide immunization plan against COVID-19 is virtually ready, adding that the government will purchase a vaccine provided it is authorized by the country’s national sanitary regulator Anvisa.

“We’re ready to purchase any drug and any vaccine once it’s certified by Anvisa. And a program, a national immunization plan, is practically fininshed at the Health [Ministry] so we can vaccinate whoever wants it,” he stated.

The Health Ministry has inked a deal for the purchase of doses of a potential vaccine produced by UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in collaboration with Oxford University, including a pact for the transfer of technology and local production of the vaccine by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).

The federal government has been in touch with other international laboratories developing doses against COVID-19, which, if approved, may also be acquired for the general immunization of the people. On Wednesday (25), pharmaceutical firm Pfizer announced it has started the process of lodging a request at Anvisa.