Government announces partnership to produce Covid-19 vaccine

Jun 27, 2020 14:56 2 min read (Updated: Jun 28, 2020 22:01)

In an increasingly rare piece of positive news for the Brazilian government, a new partnership for the development and production of a Covid-19 vaccine was unveiled this week, with the British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

There will be two stages of inputs and technology transfers: in December 2020 and January 2021. Though the government recognizes that there is no guarantee that the vaccine will be safe or effective, it has agreed to participate in its development. The vaccine is being developed by the Jenner Insitute at Oxford University in conjunction with the Oxford Vaccine Group.

The first stage of the process is set to produce 30.4 million units and if the Covid-19 vaccine turns out to be safe and effective, Brazil will produce another 70 million doses. The combined total of 100 million doses is enough to vaccinate nearly half of the Brazilian population. Costs come up to BRL 695 million. However, the deal is still waiting on medical research center Fiocruz to finalize its own deal with AstraZeneca.