Correspondent
Brazil’s distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine has been tumultuous. Brazil’s primary strategy was to manufacture 100 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine. This process has been delayed countless times, forcing the Brazilian government to turn to a plan B. Brazil administered their first vaccine on Jan. 17, according to Reuters.
Brazilian President Bolsonaro is forced to reevaluate their approach to Covid-19 after the AstraZeneca vaccine is deemed ineffective (Envato Elements).
Brazil is using China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd vaccine. This vaccine is only shown to be 50% effective according to Reuters.
Brazil is not expected to receive doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine until late March. Brazil has been one of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic. The country has tallied 218,000 deaths, second only to the U.S. Brazil has also only vaccinated less than 0.5% of their population, according to Reuters. The newcomers to the Brazilian Health ministry failed to secure supplies in a global competition to get resources to fight the virus.