The US government is to announce the donation of another batch of Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil within the next 15 days. People in the talks say the vaccines will come from either Janssen, a single application, or Pfizer, which requires two doses – both have been approved for use in both countries.
Negotiators claim the shipment is to be made via direct donation, but there is still no confirmation on the exact date and quantity of doses that will arrive in Brazil. If confirmed in the current negotiations, it will be the second direct donation of vaccines made by the US government to Brazilians.
On June 23, the White House announced the shipment of 3 million doses of Janssen, which have already arrived in Brazil and have started to be applied.
On July 4, President Jair Bolsonaro sent a letter to Joe Biden thanking him for sending the vaccines and congratulating Americans on the country’s Independence Day, which is celebrated on that date.
The new vaccines are to be shipped from Florida, arriving at Viracopos Airport, Campinas (SP), with transportation provided by airline Azul, which offered the service to the Brazilian government for the first time and could repeat the transfer. . If the company is not available, Brazil must use FAB (Brazilian Air Force) planes.
The first 3 million doses were the most vaccines sent by the United States to any country so far directly – that is, outside the scope of Covax, an initiative linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the distribution of vaccines to developing countries.
Negotiations for the new donation are being done directly between the White House and the Brazilian government, which made its first vaccine research contact in March, after a request from other leaders in the region, such as the Mexican president.
Brazil has also touted itself as a possible recipient of around 20 million doses which are in U.S. stocks and are expected to expire in September. These vaccines would be distributed through Covax, but the consortium warned that it may not have the logistics necessary for distribution in this timeframe. The Brazilian government then informed the United States that it could receive at least part of those 20 million doses.
The Americans have already announced that around 20 million doses will be shared with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in the coming weeks, via Covax, part of the total of 80 million doses promised by Joe Biden for several countries across the world.
The number for the region that includes Brazil was considered low compared to the 438 million people who live in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Via Covax, Brazil will have to share doses with Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica and other Caribbean countries.
In the American plan, around 75% of the doses are distributed via Covax, according to the participation of each country in the consortium – that of Brazil is low – while 25% are sent directly by the United States to countries considered to be partners of the Americans. and which, according to Biden, government authorities are experiencing a very serious Covid epidemic.
The White House is under international pressure to help the poorest and developing countries fight the pandemic, and the Brazilian government – through the embassy in Washington and Itamaraty – is asking for access to some of the immunizing agents.
With the denial of the Bolsonaro government, new variants and a very slow vaccination rate, Brazil slips into the fight against the pandemic and is today one of the epicenters of the crisis, with more than 525,000 dead.
The United States, for its part, is a leader in the death toll – with more than 600,000 victims – but has seen cases, deaths and hospitalizations plummet amid a successful mass vaccination campaign. .
The White House bought enough vaccine to immunize the entire population three times, applied at least one dose to 55% of Americans, but had been criticized for prioritizing internal vaccination, even with excess doses, when several regions of the world are devastated by the crisis. . , as is the case in Brazil.