Sao Paulo authorities plead with China to release vaccines May 12, 2021 at 6:47 pm
SAO PAULO (AP) Authorities in Brazil’s most populous state on Wednesday said they have mobilized to try to convince the Chinese government to authorize the export of raw material to make millions of COVID-19 vaccines needed amid a sudden shortage.
The South American nation is highly dependent on a shot made by pharmaceutical company Sinovac for its immunization efforts, and in recent weeks several Brazilian cities have either suspended or delayed vaccinations due to faltering supplies.
The factory that produces the vaccine locally, at Sao Paulo’s state-run Butantan Institute, has slowed production due to lack of raw material, and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and his economy minister, Paulo Guedes, made statements critical of China this month. Sao Paulo’s Gov. João Doria an adversary of Bolsonaro’s implied their comments may have created the bottleneck.
SAO PAULO (AP) Authorities in Brazil's most populous state on Wednesday said they have mobilized to try to convince the Chinese government to authorize the export of raw material to make millions of COVID-19 vaccines needed amid a sudden shortage.