Brazil Simultaneously Approves AstraZeneca and Sinovac Vaccines... Vaccination Begins

AstraZeneca Shows 70% Prevention Effectiveness, Sinovac 50%
Ongoing Tension Between President and S?o Paulo Governor Over Sinovac Vaccination

On the 17th (local time), Monica Calazans (54), a nurse selected as the first COVID-19 vaccine recipient in Brazil, received the vaccine. She was administered the Chinese Sinovac vaccine on this day.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Brazil's health authorities have approved the emergency use of the UK AstraZeneca and Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines, and in S?o Paulo state, the first vaccinations took place immediately after approval, joining the ranks of countries administering vaccines. Amid ongoing distrust of the Sinovac vaccine, whose efficacy figures varied among health authorities worldwide, political conflicts between the Brazilian president and the governor of S?o Paulo are expected to intensify future controversies.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 17th (local time), Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) held a public board meeting and approved the emergency use of the UK AstraZeneca vaccine and the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. The AstraZeneca vaccine approval was requested through the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a research institution affiliated with Brazil's Ministry of Health, while the Sinovac vaccine's emergency use approval was requested by the Butantan Institute under the S?o Paulo state government. The vaccines approved for emergency use on this day include 6 million doses imported by the Butantan Institute from Sinovac and 2 million doses to be imported by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation from AstraZeneca.

Immediately after Anvisa's approval, the first vaccination took place in S?o Paulo state on the same day. The S?o Paulo state government announced that Monica Calazans (54), a nurse working at the Emilio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases in S?o Paulo city, became the first recipient of the Sinovac vaccine. After vaccination, Nurse Calazans received a vaccination certificate from Governor Jo?o Doria stating "Vaccinated with Butantan Institute's vaccine" and a bracelet labeled "COVID-19 Vaccine Recipient."

S?o Paulo state had previously announced that vaccinations would begin on the 25th of this month, but due to ongoing tensions between Governor Doria and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro over the Sinovac vaccine, vaccinations were advanced and started on this day. President Bolsonaro has consistently opposed the approval and vaccination plans, expressing distrust in the efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine.

Earlier, the Butantan Institute announced that the Sinovac vaccine showed a preventive efficacy of 50.38% in clinical trials conducted in Brazil, and Brazilian health authorities approved it, noting it exceeded the 50% threshold. However, controversy continues. The Sinovac vaccine's efficacy figures have varied significantly among countries: S?o Paulo state government reported 78%, Turkish health authorities 91%, and Indonesian health authorities 65%, fueling ongoing debates about its efficacy and safety. Brazilian health authorities reported the AstraZeneca vaccine approved on the same day had a preventive efficacy of 70.42%.

Alongside these controversies, political competition between Governor Doria and President Bolsonaro is said to be exacerbating the Sinovac debate. According to CNN, the two are expected to be leading contenders in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election and have repeatedly clashed over COVID-19 response strategies and vaccine procurement and administration.

Meanwhile, Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency rejected the emergency use approval for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, which was reviewed alongside the others on the same day. Earlier, Brazil's major pharmaceutical company Uni?o Qu?mica, together with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), responsible for Sputnik V exports and overseas production, requested emergency use approval for Sputnik V on the 15th. However, Anvisa denied approval, citing that Sputnik V did not meet the minimum criteria required for emergency use authorization, such as the absence of phase 3 clinical trials.

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