Brazil to help neighboring countries conclude vaccination: Guedes

In two months, Brazil will start helping neighboring countries boost immunization after concluding the vaccination of adults against COVID-19, said Brazil’s Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, at an event by organization Atlantic Council, in Washington, held Wednesday (Oct. 13).

The minister noted that Brazil has vaccinated 93 percent of its adult population with the first dose and 60 percent with both doses or a single dose, adding that the country’s immunization pace is ensuring “safe return to work.”

Guedes went on to say that the role of mass vaccination was among the topics discussed at the meetings of the International Monetary Found (IMF) and the World Bank. The gatherings are taking place this week in the US capital, attended by finance ministers and central bank heads from a number of countries.

Recovery

In the minister’s view, the performance of the Brazilian economy has been surprising, as the country recovers at a better pace than advanced economies in 2021. “We have fallen less and we are growing faster than advanced economies. We will grow 5.3 percent this year,” he declared.

The government’s efforts, he argued, contributed to reduce the decline in the economy in 2020 with the introduction of the emergency allowance and the program that preserved jobs in exchange for the reduction of the work day and the suspension of contracts. “The employment maintenance program has preserved 11 million jobs. In addition, 3 million formal job posts have been created since the middle of last year.”

The minister pointed out that climate changes were among the main topics at IMF and World Bank meetings. All the planet, he said, is concerned with the matter, which leads to catastrophes in some countries and make an impact on energy prices elsewhere.

“It’s been raining very little in Brazil, and energy prices are on the rise. In China, on the other hand, it’s been raining too much, and coal prices are rising,” the minister concluded.