Brazil may face shortages of China’s Covid-19 vaccine amid strained ties

South American country has not received the raw materials necessary to make more doses of CoronaVac to complete its immunisation programme

‘We need to at least know what is happening, what is the reason for the active ingredients not reaching Brazil,” president of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies says

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Brazil could soon face shortages of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine due to delays in the export of key ingredients. Photo: AP

Published: 6:00pm, 20 Jan 2021Updated: 10:48pm, 20 Jan 2021

Brazil could soon face shortages of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine due to delays in the export of key ingredients, and local politicians are concerned that strained ties with Beijing may be a factor holding up shipments.

CoronaVac, produced by Sinovac Biotech Ltd, won approval for emergency use from Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa on Sunday. The first health professionals were vaccinated on Monday in the state of São Paulo, making CoronaVac the first and for now only vaccine available in the country.

The São Paulo government has ordered 46 million doses of the vaccine, with 6 million doses made available after the regulator’s approval. However, this batch will run out in a few weeks and Beijing has not yet approved shipment of ingredients needed to make more.

Dimas Covas, head of the Butantan Institute in São Paulo that conducted CoronaVac’s largest phase 3 clinical trials, said in a news conference on Monday that the delay was a bureaucratic issue.

The next day he asked Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to intervene, though the president has previously criticised CoronaVac, calling it the vaccine of “death and disablement”, and attacked China over the cause of the pandemic.

“If the vaccine [CoronaVac] is now Brazil’s, may our president have the dignity to defend it and solicit the support of his foreign ministry in discussions with the Chinese government,” Covas said.

Brazilian politicians are concerned the attacks on China by Bolsonaro and his allies will discourage Beijing’s cooperation.

The first Brazilian health professionals were vaccinated on Monday. Photo: AFP