Brazil is in talks with the United States to import excess COVID-19 vaccines, the Brazilian foreign ministry said on Saturday, as the South American nation struggles to stop the growth of coronavirus infections and deaths.
The ministry posted on Twitter that, along with the Brazilian embassy in Washington, it had been in talks with the US government since March 13 “to make it possible for Brazil to import surplus vaccines available in the United States.”
The announcement comes after the administration of US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that it would “borrow” 2.5 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Mexico and another 1.5 million doses in Canada, amid a surplus of doses.
The government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is under increasing pressure to explain the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the slow release of vaccines.
The country is facing an increase in coronavirus infections and deaths, as more than 290,000 people have died since the beginning of the pandemic – the second largest number in the world after the United States.
To date, more than 11.8 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Brazil, according to Johns Hopkins University.
As of March 13, the Brazilian government, through Itamaraty and the Washington embassy, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, is negotiating with the US government so that Brazil can import vaccines from the surplus available in the United States.
– Itamaraty Brazil 🇧🇷 (@Itamaraty_EN) March 20, 2021
On Saturday, the health ministry said 79,069 new cases had been reported in the previous 24-hour period, along with an additional 2,438 coronavirus-related deaths.
The country’s health network is also on the verge of collapse in several parts of the country, as local and state officials have tried in recent weeks to impose stricter restrictions in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
The beaches of Rio de Janeiro were closed to the public over the weekend, with Mayor Eduardo Paes urging residents to stay home amid what he described as a “very difficult” situation.
“Either we are aware of this and we respect lives, or we are going to live in a difficult situation to manage in the coming days,” he added, as police officers took up positions in front of the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Barra de Tijuca. .
It was the first time Rio’s beaches had been closed to the public since they reopened in July last year.
The governor of the state of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, also imposed a two-week blockade, “red code”, the closure of non-essential businesses and the restriction of other services earlier this month.
The measures drew protests throughout Brazil, while law enforcement authorities broke up large rallies that violated the restrictions.
Daniel Schweimler of Al Jazeera, who reports from Buenos Aires, said on Saturday that one problem was that there had been contradictory statements and measures by political leaders across Brazil.
While the mayor of Rio de Janeiro closed the beaches, Schweimler said Bolsonaro encouraged people to go “multiply with as much vitamin D and sun as possible, because he says this is the best way to fight against coronavirus ”.
“So you really have this big political problem: those who impose measures to try to fight the pandemic, and the president and his allies saying they are doing a good job, take care of it as best they can, it’s not their fault and they it really urges people to do business as usual, “Schweimler reported.
Bolsonaro, a skeptical COVID-19 who avoided public health measures and minimized the threat of the coronavirus, asked Brazil’s Supreme Court to overturn the blocking orders, local media reported on Friday.
“They impose a state of siege, which is unconstitutional. They cannot do this without the approval of Congress. They humiliate the population while saying they save lives. How can I save lives, I die of hunger “, said Bolsonaro.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro faces criticism over pandemic management by government [File: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters]
The far-right president named Brazil’s fourth health minister since the pandemic began last week, saying the country was entering a “more aggressive” phase in the fight against the virus.
Marcelo Queiroga, cardiologist, are pledged to carry out Bolsonaro’s policies.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian government has struggled to administer COVID-19 vaccines, so far delivering at least one dose to about 5.4% of the population.
Brazil approved two emergency vaccines in January: AstraZeneca in the UK and CoronaVac, developed in China.
The country said last week that it had ordered 100 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 38 million from Johnson & Johnson, while negotiating 13 million doses of Moderna Inc. vaccine.