Private hospitals will be able to apply Covid-19 vaccine, says regulator

Private hospitals will be allowed to administer Covid-19 vaccines once approved by regulators

The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) will allow private hospitals and clinics to immunize Brazilians against Covid-19 as soon as a vaccine is approved for use by the public sector, according to a report by Poder 360.

Vaccination could begin in January, alongside government timetables, potentially speeding up the rate of immunization in the country. The information was confirmed by Geraldo Barbosa, the president of the Brazilian Vaccine Practices Association (ABCvac), who added that private hospitals were surprised by the offer, as they had already made their facilities available for the government to train health staff or use as vaccination posts, but were left with no reply.

Now, private institutions are in talks with laboratories Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Sinovac and understand they could have supplies for sale in the first months of 2021. However, Mr. Barbosa said they will only import doses once they have definitive permission from the government, which is still pending.

Natália Scalzaretto

Natália Scalzaretto has worked for companies such as Santander Brasil and Reuters, where she covered news ranging from commodities to technology. Before joining The Brazilian Report, she worked as an editor for Trading News, the information division from the TradersClub investor community.