Brazil Will Not Buy Chinese Vaccines, Bolsonaro Says

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday said that his country will not buy the coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese company Sinovac.

RELATED:

Temer and Bolsonaro Killed Brazil's Growth Prospects

This announcement was made after Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello mentioned that Brazil will allocate US$427 million for the purchase of 46 million doses of the "Coronavac" vaccine. On Tuesday, he met with different governors and signed a protocol of intentions to expand the supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

So far, the Sinovac’s vaccine has been tested by the Butantan Institute, a scientific institution in the Sao Paulo state where Governor Joao Doria has become a Bolsonaro's major political rival.

"The Brazilian people will be no one's guinea pig," said the former far-right captain who referred to the Coronavac as "Doria's Chinese vaccine."

To justify his rejection of Chinese products, Bolsonaro argued that the Sinovac vaccine's efficiency and safety had not been "scientifically proven," an unusual claim from a politician who has denied the validity of scientific recommendations since the pandemic began.

However, Brazil's president said nothing against the University of Oxford's vaccine, which his country will buy, although its efficacy and safety are also yet to be scientifically proven.

As of Wednesday morning, Brazil was the third country worst hit by the pandemic. Its authorities reported 5,276,942 COVID-19 cases and 154,906 deaths.