A defender of unproven treatments for Covid-19, Bolsonaro slams Chinese vaccine. Petrobras’ recovery is already in motion. And the latest beef between Brazil and Bolivia.
Bolsonaro says hard ‘no’ to Chinese vaccine
President Jair Bolsonaro slammed the idea of having the federal government purchase 46 million doses of the potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by Chinese lab Sinovac Biotech and the São Paulo-based Butantan Biological Institute. Earlier this week, the state government of São Paulo announced promising results of late-stage clinical trials.
- A deal brokered by the Health Ministry had been announced, but Mr. Bolsonaro pulled rank on his Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, canceling the agreement and saying “the Brazilian people will not be anyone’s guinea pig.”
- This argument seems curious coming from someone who has consistently touted unproven treatments for the coronavirus — such as antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine.
Why it matters. The president’s decision is less about health and more about electoral politics.
- As we explained on Tuesday’s Daily Briefing, Mr. Bolsonaro fears that a successful vaccine brought to Brazil by the state of São Paulo would boost Governor João Doria’s electoral stock for the 2022 presidential race. In fairness, the governor has politicized the pandemic just...