Chinese vaccine arrives in Sao Paulo with increased virus cases

Photographer: Jonne Roriz / Bloomberg

Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest state, which has been hit hardest by the pandemic, has received its first batch of CoronaVac vaccines amid a further rise in coronavirus cases.

A delegation of politicians and researchers received the shipment of 120,000 doses of Vaccines from Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Thursday morning at the international airport and 46 million more doses are expected to arrive by January.

CoronaVac is one of four vaccines currently in phase 3 in Brazil, involving some 13,000 healthcare professionals. Distribution to Sao Paulo’s wider population of 44 million will not begin until after the trials are over and the gunshot cleared by the country’s health regulator Anvisa.

Hours after the first vaccines arrived, state officials, including Governor Joao Doria, spoke to reporters at a press conference that largely focused on a new spike in cases.

“We are seeing some fatigue in the face of the pandemic,” Health Secretary Jean Gorinchteyn said. “This is the time for care and caution.”

Although still well below critical times seen earlier this year, the moving average of new infections in Sao Paulo has climbed to the highest since early October. Hospitalizations increased 8% last week.

the the state, the richest in the country, accounts for about 20% of the country’s 5.95 million cases. One in four Brazilians who have died from the disease is in Sao Paulo.

As state officials refrained from announcing further restrictive measures and ruled out the possibility of a lockdown, they have suspended planning for all non-essential surgeries in the public health system. Field hospitals have been dissolved, but beds reserved for Covid patients will be kept on hold for now.

Recent problems with the Ministry of Health’s system – the target of a cyber attack earlier this month – have made case numbers less reliable and placed more emphasis on tracking hospital admissions, officials said.

The main factor behind the rise in infections appears to be parties and youth gatherings, Gorinchteyn said.

Political quarrel

Sinovac The vaccine, which is being developed locally in partnership with the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo, has become the center of a growing feud between Doria and President Jair Bolsonaro.

Earlier this month, health regulator Anvisa halted shooting tests after the death of a test participant – reversing his decision less than 48 hours later amid criticism the move was politically motivated. The death of the individual was unrelated to the trial, the researchers said.

Read more: CoronaVac trial in China resumes in Brazil after ‘adverse event’

Bolsonaro, who regularly downplays the severity of the virus, has criticized Doria, ally turned enemy, and “the origin” of the vaccine. He also appeared to celebrate the stay of the trial on social media by saying it was “another victory for Bolsonaro”.

China has already started administering its vaccines, including Coronavac, to hundreds of thousands of people under broad approval for emergency use. China’s science ministry said last month that its companies had inoculated about 60,000 volunteers in end-stage trials with no reports of serious adverse events.

“The time has come for the federal government to make a concerted effort on vaccines,” Doria said. “Vaccines are the definitive solution.”