Podcast

Explaining Brazil #158: Never-ending vaccine scandals

The Bolsonaro administration purposely stalled vaccine deals with Pfizer. Now, members of the government are suspected of having asked for bribes before purchasing immunizers

For the best part of the pandemic, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been criticized for his reluctance to purchase coronavirus vaccines. He bad-mouthed immunizers from China, he spoke ill of the Pfizer vaccine, and took months to secure any deals to get jabs in Brazilians’ arms. 

But now, in an ironic twist, the government is facing its most severe crisis not over the vaccines it did not pursue, but over the ones it did.

Members of the government are suspected of having conditioned immunizer purchases to hefty bribes.

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Guest:

  • Euan Marshall is an editor at The Brazilian Report and also hosts the Explaining Brazil podcast in the absence of Gustavo Ribeiro.

Background reading:

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