Approval Pending... Brazil Grants Import Authorization for AstraZeneca Vaccine

Emergency Use Authorization Expected on the 15th... Priority Vaccination for Medical Staff and Elderly Begins
COVID-19 Spread Intensifies Again Last Month..."Urgent Need for Vaccination"

AstraZeneca's novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) vaccine is placed on a desk. On the 2nd (local time), Brazil's Ministry of Health National Health Surveillance Agency approved the import of 2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford in the UK. Reuters. Yonhap
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] Brazilian health authorities have approved the import of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not yet been authorized for use within the country.

According to major foreign media on the 3rd (local time), Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency under the Ministry of Health approved the import of 2 million doses of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford in the UK the day before.

Emergency use of the AstraZeneca vaccine has not yet been approved in Brazil. Brazilian health authorities are conducting Phase 3 clinical trials for four COVID-19 vaccines, including the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech, China's Sinovac, and Johnson & Johnson-Janssen. None of these vaccines have been approved yet, and the decision on vaccine use approval is expected around mid-month.

Nevertheless, the approval of vaccine import appears to reflect concerns about the need to expedite vaccinations as the spread of COVID-19 in Brazil has intensified again since last month. As of the 30th, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Brazil in December reached 18,570, the highest since September last year. The monthly death toll had been declining for four months after peaking at 32,912 in July last year but reversed to an upward trend in December.

On behalf of the health authorities, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, responsible for purchasing the AstraZeneca vaccine, announced plans to request emergency use authorization from the National Health Surveillance Agency on the 6th. The Cruz Foundation expects approval from the agency before the 15th. If approval proceeds as expected, vaccinations will likely begin at the end of this month, prioritizing healthcare workers and the elderly. Large-scale vaccinations are expected to be gradually implemented starting in February.

Brazilian health authorities expect to receive a total of 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by the first half of this year.

According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, as of the previous day, Brazil recorded a cumulative total of 7,716,405 confirmed cases and 195,725 deaths. In terms of cumulative confirmed cases, Brazil ranks third in the world after the United States and India, and second in deaths after the United States.

Meanwhile, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and the Rio de Janeiro State Industrial Development Corporation are also promoting plans to receive materials and technology necessary for vaccine production from AstraZeneca and produce the vaccine domestically in Brazil. This production facility is planned to be established in the Santa Cruz area of western Rio de Janeiro, with completion targeted for 2023.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.