Brazil's Bolsonaro refuses to pay for Chinese COVID-19 vaccine
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Bolsonar's decision to deny purchase of the Chinese coronavirus vaccine has also attracted criticism from many experts who have urged the President to let the vaccine enter the country to contain the widespread of the deadly virus
As the world is rushing towards manufacturing and producing a COVID-19 vaccine, the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to pay for the coronavirus vaccine being developed by a Chinese company Sinovac Biotech.
A few days ago when asked if he would be aiming to get the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, Bolsonaro issued a stern 'no' and said, "We will not buy a Chinese vaccine."
Now, Bolsonaro has taken a shot at the Sao Paulo Governor for promoting a coronavirus vaccine. “Dear Sao Paulo Governor (João Doria), I know you’re passionate. You know this but no one is going to take a forced vaccine, it would be difficult,” the president said.
“Find another. I am the government, the money is not mine but the people’s. I am not going to buy your vaccine also. Find another to buy your vaccine.”
The statement has come at a time when Brazil is crippling with the coronavirus pandemic and has been observing single-day surges of coronavirus infections. The daily surge has led to people and health experts urging the President to initiate another lockdown, like many other European and Western countries.
However, Bolsonaro has defined these lockdowns by other countries to be "crazy". Bolsonaro has been a critic of full lockdowns and "stay-at-home" measures, claiming the virus is being hyped.
Bolsonaro's decision to deny purchase of the Chinese coronavirus vaccine has also attracted criticism from many experts who have urged the President to let the vaccine enter the country to contain the widespread of the deadly virus which has affected millions of locals, including the President and his family.
The statement was also followed by a comment from the head of the country's health regulator Anvisa, Antonio Barra Torres who has claimed that Brazil will have a COVID-19 vaccine ready by June
Meanwhile, Sao Paulo state biomedical research centre, the Butantan Institute, is testing the Sinovac vaccine, and Governor João Doria said he hopes to have health regulator approval by the end of the year to start vaccinating people in January.