Covid inquiry postpones final report until October

Senator Renan Calheiros, the rapporteur of the Senate Covid-19 hearings committee. Photo: Pedro França/SF/CC-BY 4.0

Senator Renan Calheiros, the rapporteur of the Senate Covid-19 hearings committee, announced on Monday that he will postpone the presentation of his final report, originally scheduled for this week. The senator has not confirmed a new date, but the first week of October emerges as the likeliest possibility.

Mr. Calheiros’ report is practically ready, but he postponed its presentation so that he could include information from search and seizure warrants carried out last week at addresses linked to Precisa Medicamentos — the company at the center of a corruption scandal involving Health Ministry vaccine purchases. He intends to recommend the indictment of President Bolsonaro on multiple counts.

Statements about unethical chloroquine trials by HMO Prevent Senior should also feature in the final draft. The company omitted Covid-19 deaths of patients who were given hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as part of government-commissioned research to verify the drugs’ efficacy against the coronavirus.

Janaína Camelo

Janaína Camelo has been a political reporter for ten years, working for multiple media outlets. More recently, she worked for the presidency's press service and is now specializing in data journalism.