How shady companies tried to sell nonexistent vaccines to Brazilian politicians

With almost 19 million infections and over 524,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths, Brazil is in a race against time to vaccinate its population before the potential arrival of new variants, which could engulf the country in yet another wave of infections and push local health systems back to the point of collapse. 

The Senate’s probe into the government’s pandemic response has shown how the Jair Bolsonaro administration deliberately stalled vaccine deals, leaving the country in a highly precarious position. On multiple occasions, the rollout ground to a halt due to a lack of jabs — leaving local authorities scrambling to get more immunizers and creating the perfect environment for scammers looking to make a dishonest buck out of the crisis.

At least two Brazilian states — and multiple small municipalities — were sought after by a company claiming to sell AstraZeneca vaccines. The firm, Texas-based Davati Medical Supply, has since been brought to the center of the latest cash-for-jabs scandal in Brazil. Last week, an informal representative of Davati told the press that the Health Ministry’s former logistics director demanded a USD 1 bribe for each of the 400 million doses the government was poised to purchase.

But there is no evidence whatsoever that the proposed vaccines even existed, as AstraZeneca denies any association with...