Brazil began distribution on Saturday of the 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine that arrived from India on Friday, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Brazil has the third highest COVID-19 rate in the world. The 2 million doses “only scratch the surface of the deficit,” Brazilian public health experts told the AP.
The big picture: Brazil began its vaccination campaign Monday, according to the New York Times, using the Chinese Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine – which was found to be 78% effective in Brazilian trials.
- Brazil’s Butantan Institute, a medical research institute in São Paulo, has made available 6 million CoronaVac doses imported from China and the material used imported from China to bottle an additional 4.8 million doses per AP.
- A flight from India scheduled for last week was delayed, derailing Brazil’s plan to start its immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
- The federally funded Fiocruz Institute in Brazil has entered into an agreement to produce up to 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.