Brazil Sends Mixed Vaccine Messages as Political Fight Heats Up

Government says could start giving Pfizer shots by year-end
Sao Paulo Governor Doria facing resistance with CoronaVac push

Dimas Tadeu Covas, director of the Butantan Institute, from left, Jean Gorinchteyn, Sao Paulo’s health secretary, and Joao Doria, Sao Paulo’s governor, hold boxes of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. coronavirus vaccine at Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020.Photographer: Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg

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By Julia Leite

December 9, 2020 at 5:18 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Brazil’s government is sending mixed messages about its vaccination program and timeline as political infighting flares once again between state governors and President Jair Bolsonaro.

After saying approval for a vaccine could take up to 60 days, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said Wednesday that a Pfizer Inc. shot could be deployed as early as this month. While the government is negotiating 70 million doses from the U.S. pharma firm, it has yet to sign a full supply contract.