Coronavirus

São Paulo government makes billionaire request to double vaccine production

Produced by the São Paulo-based Butantan Biological Institute in partnership with Chinese firm Sinovac, the Coronavac vaccine is one of the many prospective inoculations against the coronavirus being tested in Brazil. The initial agreement with Sinovac was to produce 60 million doses by the end of the first quarter of 2021, but the São Paulo state government has requested BRL 1.9 billion (USD 340 million) in funding from the Health Ministry to double this planned output by the end of next year.


Phase three trials on the vaccine began in São Paulo on June 11, and the plan is to test the serum on 9,000 volunteers from around Brazil. Antibody responses from these trials have been positive.

On a national level, President Jair Bolsonaro has been dismissive of the Coronavac initiative, fearing that its success may raise the stock of São Paulo Governor João Doria — one of his leading political rivals.

Support this coverage →
Euan Marshall

Originally from Scotland, Euan Marshall traded Glasgow for São Paulo in 2011. Specializing in Brazilian soccer, politics, and the connection between the two, he authored a comprehensive history of Brazilian soccer entitled “A to Zico: An Alphabet of Brazilian Football.”

Recent Posts

Tech Roundup: Are Brazilians willing to use crypto for payments?

Welcome to our Tech Roundup, where we bring you the biggest stories in technology and…

6 mins ago

Alexandre de Moraes: between criticism and justification

For some time, the decisions of Alexandre de Moraes, justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court and…

56 mins ago

Petro’s far-fetched train project to compete with the Panama Canal

Panama was once a part of Colombia. Its canal, a monumental engineering achievement of its…

1 day ago

Market Roundup: The new skills corporate board members need

The specialization trend among corporate board members It is not only a matter of perception:…

2 days ago

As elections near, what’s next for Panama’s closed copper mine?

Panama will hold its presidential elections on Sunday, months after huge protests saw thousands descend…

2 days ago

Madonna concert to inject BRL 300 million into Rio economy

The city of Rio de Janeiro estimates that a Madonna concert this Saturday on Copacabana…

3 days ago