President Jair Bolsanaro on Friday asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite a shipment of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to a letter released by the Brazilian President’s press office.
President Bolsonaro’s letter comes amid growing pressure in his country to fast-track Brazil’s vaccine rollout, as Brazil reels under the coronavirus outbreak. Bolsanaro’s critics say the immunization campaign in Brazil is running behind its regional peers, and they question why the government has not moved more quickly.
“To enable the immediate implementation of our National Immunization Program, I would appreciate … the supply to Brazil, with the possible urgency and without jeopardizing the Indian vaccination program, of 2 million doses,” Bolsonaro wrote in the letter, shared by his press office.
His message to PM Modi comes amid broader delays to the vaccine’s arrival in Brazil. On Friday the federally funded Fiocruz biomedical center said that the active ingredients necessary to fill and finish millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in Brazil, previously slated to arrive in the country on Saturday, may not land until the end of the month. The delay in the shipment of the active ingredient is attributed to the wait for an export license from China, where it is produced.
Fiocruz was depending on Saturday’s shipment to supply the government with doses this month. The biological sciences research institution added that it was in talks to import more finished doses of the vaccine, likely from India on top of the 2 million it has already ordered. Earlier, Fiocruz requested an emergency use authorization for AstraZeneca vaccines coming from India, which are expected to arrive in Brazil mid-January.