US pressured Brazil to reject Sputnik V application

The information comes from an official document from the Federal Office of Health, released in January of this year, following the review of tasks performed in 2020.

The pressure was exerted through the Office of Global Affairs (OGA) of the Ministry of Health, whose members used “diplomatic relations in the Americas region to mitigate the efforts of states, including Cuba, Venezuela and Russia, who are working to increase their influence in the region to the detriment of US security, ”according to the document.

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“The Global Affairs Office (OGA) has used diplomatic relations in America to dampen the efforts of states, including Cuba, Venezuela and Russia, which are working to increase their influence in the region to the detriment of the security of the United States. The OGA has coordinated with other US government agencies to strengthen diplomatic relations and offer technical services and humanitarian assistance to deter countries in the region from accepting aid from these ill-intentioned states. Examples include the use of the OGA Health Attaché’s office to persuade Brazil to reject the Russian COVID-19 vaccine and offer technical assistance to the CDC instead of Panama accepting an offer from Cuban doctors. “

They also point out that these efforts have been brought to the “Use the OGA Health Attaché’s office to persuade Brazil to reject the Russian COVID-19 vaccine.”

Although the attitude of OGA members is reported to be part of the pressure to ‘persuade’ the rejection of the vaccine, it should be noted that the administration of Bolsonaro maintained close and sympathetic relations with the Trump administration, while criticizing the Russian president Vladimir Poutine.

Vaccine social networks Sputnik V, the first recorded against Covid-19, questioned the use of pressure methods by the United States. “We believe that countries must work together to save lives. Efforts to undermine vaccines are unethical and cost lives, ”they said.

In January, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RIDF), financier of the production of vaccines, denied that Brazil had rejected the formula with which Sputnik V. A month later, the Brazilian authorities gave the green light for the tests of the drug found in phase III and already approved for a emergency use in 51 countries, including Argentina.

Currently, Brazil is going through the worst health moment due to Covid-19. With more than 2,200 deaths a day and the emergence of new strains that are crippling the world, it has become the global epicenter of the pandemic.

Since the start of the pandemic, the South American country has recorded a total of 11 million cases and more than 278,000 deaths.