Brazil, hit hard by Covid-19, turning tide with vaccines
- Brazil has the fourth-most doses administered – a total of 214 million – after China, India and US
- Brazil’s recent success came despite a chaotic pandemic outset under the leadership of President Bolsonaro
Despite a slow start plagued by much controversy that still haunts President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s coronavirus vaccination campaign is now one of the fastest-paced and farthest-reaching in the world.
While boasting a globally renowned vaccination system, the country of 213 million people only started coronavirus inoculations in January, several weeks after the United States, many European countries and others in South America.
The roll-out was delayed by political bickering under a president who belittled the pandemic and spread vaccine falsehoods, then hamstrung by logistical difficulties in the vast country.
In the past three months, the number of Brazilians with at least one jab has almost tripled to cover 67.6 per cent of the population – slightly higher than in the United States with 63.4 per cent and Argentina with 63.8, according to an AFP count.