Bolsonaro camp pushes hard for Russian vaccine, despite lack of data

Cities around Brazil have warned the Health Ministry about impending Covid-19 vaccine shortages. In the capital Brasília, for instance, the local immunization campaign has stopped dead. Realizing that his popularity is at stake, President Jair Bolsonaro has finally decided to act, unexpectedly pushing for vaccines from Russia, which have yet to obtain approval from Brazilian regulators.

As things stand, a little over 20 million Brazilian residents have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine — 9.4 percent of the total population. However, just 5.5 percent have received the two necessary shots.

Meanwhile, Brazil leads the global rankings of new Covid-19 deaths. On Tuesday, the country recorded 4,195 coronavirus fatalities in the space of 24 hours, taking the overall toll to over 336,000 people. And experts say the situation will only get worse: the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation from the University of Washington forecasts a total of 100,000 Covid-19 deaths in Brazil throughout April.

While initially warning against lockdown measures and drastic health spending, Brazil’s Economy Ministry is now of the opinion that the country’s only chance for recovery is mass vaccination, warning President Bolsonaro and his inner circle that a slow immunization process will lead to a deep recession.

For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic — and cajoled by his ailing public image — Mr. Bolsonaro has gotten involved in negotiations to acquire...