Chinese vaccine and Brazil's coronavirus chaos

Brazil's plan for vaccinating its own population has been plunged into chaos by a political war waged by its leader.

Brazil's Vice President Hamilton Mourao on Friday said that government will "of course" buy a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine that is being tested in the country, in the latest example of him contradicting President Jair Bolsonaro.

Last week, Bolsonaro said the federal government would not buy a COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac, one day after the health minister said that it would be included in the nation's immunization program.

Amid this political brawl over a Chinese vaccine, the people continue to protest.
 
Brazilians are no strangers to mandatory immunization. A number of vaccines are compulsory in Brazil.
 
The mandatory vaccines and large state-backed campaigns have been a great success in the past.
 
The approach helped Brazil eradicate polio in the 1980s. The governor of Sao Paulo wants to adopt the same approach to defeat the Wuhan virus.
 
But he faces a major roadblock -- the President and his supporters who rightly refuse to accept an unproven vaccine from China. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)