Brazil to receive 9.1 million vaccine doses in first Covax batch

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Gavi, the global vaccine NGO founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is working with the W.H.O. to distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries, is releasing 9.1 million doses to Brazil through the Covax initiative, a multilateral effort to ensure equitable access to the immunizer.

A first portion of the batch should be delivered to the country in March, pending bureaucratic issues, including the signing of the contract with the supplier laboratory. Other installments will follow, until the total 9.1 million is reached.

In the case of Brazil, the vaccine is produced by AstraZeneca in the SK laboratory, in South Korea. Each dose will cost around US$5, which represents US$45.5 million (R$236 million) for the first batch for Brazil.

Gavi had stated last month that the first batch of doses for Brazil could range from 10 to 14 million.

In total, Brazil has chosen to buy 42.5 million doses through the Covax to ensure the immunization of 10% of the Brazilian population. Most other countries have chosen to commit to purchasing enough to immunize 20% of their population.

Soure: Valor