Brazil has suspended use of 12 million doses of Coronavac COVID-19 vaccine

Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa, regulator) On Saturday, he suspended the distribution of 25 batches of 12.1 million doses of the anticovid vaccine Coronavac, for having been packaged in a factory in the Asian country not approved by the Brazilian control body.

In a press release, Anvisa announced the “protective ban” of the lots and the “Broadcast ban” Likewise, after the Butantan Institute, attached to the government of the State of São Paulo and responsible for the import and local manufacture of the vaccine, notified the origin of the vaccines.

“The manufacturing unit responsible for the container was not inspected and was not approved by Anvisa when it granted the authorization for the emergency use of the aforementioned vaccine” Chinese laboratory Sinovac, detailed the regulatory body.

17 other batches packaged in the same factory, with 9 million doses, are “being shipped and released for Brazil”, added Anvisa.

The decision, published in the Official Journal of the Union, was taken “with the idea of ​​mitigating a possible health risk” and avoid “exposing the population to a possible imminent risk” with a product packaged in a factory in China that has not passed inspection by the Brazilian regulator.

The Butantan Institute has filed an appeal to, at least, free the emergency use of the 12.1 million doses that have reached Brazil.

The Coronavac vaccine, from the Sinovac laboratory, produced in China and Brazil, via the Butantan Institute, was the first to be applied in Brazil as part of the vaccination campaign that began on January 17.

However, the vaccine only has an approval for emergency use, different from the final approval granted for those of the American-German consortium Pfizer-BioNTech and the Anglo-Swedish laboratory AstraZeneca and the British University of ‘Oxford, produced in India. and in the public company Fiocruz.

AstraZeneca accounts for 44.8% of vaccination in Brazil, followed by Coronavac (33.8%), Pfizer-BioNTech (19%) and Belgian single-dose Janssen (2.3%).

Brazil, one of the three countries most affected by the pandemic in absolute numbers along with the United States and India, has accumulated nearly 21 million confirmed cases and around 583,000 deaths associated with covid-19.

In terms of vaccination, in the country of 213 million inhabitants, 199.1 million doses were delivered, of which 65.6 million in a second or in a single application. Yes indeed, 30.7% of the Brazilian population has the full cycle of vaccination.

With information from EFE

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