SAO PAULO • Doses of a Covid-19 vaccine made by China's Sinovac Biotech are rolling off a Brazilian production line, drawing interest around the country and across Latin America from governments struggling with the procurement of costlier vaccines.
Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria said at a news conference on Thursday that the state's biomedical centre, the Butantan Institute, aims to fill and finish one million doses per day on its production line for a vaccination campaign to start on Jan 25.
Mr Doria said 11 Brazilian states have contacted Butantan seeking to buy doses of the vaccine, called CoronaVac, and setting up a showdown with President Jair Bolsonaro, who has said he refuses to buy the Chinese vaccine for a national immunisation programme.
At the same news conference, Butantan head Dimas Covas said several countries in the region, including Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay and Honduras, are interested in buying the CoronaVac vaccine from Brazil. Butantan is in advanced talks with Argentina to supply the vaccine.
Dr Dimas said CoronaVac doses would cost US$10.30 (S$13.80) for Brazilian states and cities outside of Sao Paulo, a fraction of what some US and European pharmaceutical companies are charging for Covid-19 vaccines.
State governors have criticised Brazil's federal government for failing to secure a diverse enough supply of vaccines.
But Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello on Thursday pledged to vaccinate the entire population next year.
Brazil has the world's second-deadliest outbreak of the coronavirus, after the US, with more than 178,000 deaths.
The federal government says it has signed a letter of intent to buy 70 million doses from Pfizer as well as around 100 million doses from AstraZeneca. In total, it says it has lined up 300 million doses via agreements with several manufacturers.
Meanwhile, Egypt received its first shipment of vaccines developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group late on Thursday, and will get more deliveries soon, health officials said.
The vaccine, to be taken in two doses 21 days apart, will be free of charge and the government has said it will prioritise vaccinating medical staff and people with chronic diseases.
REUTERS
