Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said on Wednesday that the country must analyze the “convenience and timeliness” of incorporating the Covaxin and Sputnik V immunizers into its national vaccination campaign.
It is the first time the country’s health official has questioned the need to approve the two immunizers, suggesting they will bring “few benefits” to the country’s vaccination campaign — as of this week, 17 percent of the population has been twice vaccinated, predominantly using shots from Sinovac, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer.
Mr. Queiroga justified his argument by saying both vaccines have hit regulatory roadblocks, and that Brazil already has “over 600 million doses available.” However, Covaxin is also in the middle of a corruption scandal being investigated by the Senate’s Covid-19 hearings committee. After canceling a controversial purchase deal filled with irregularities, a definitive rejection of Covaxin could help to cool tensions in the Senate inquiry and “prove” the government’s innocence.
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