Prognosis
Bolsonaro Accelerates Vaccine Plan as Popularity Takes a Hit
- Mass campaign brought forward after Sao Paulo’s early start
- Bolsonaro’s popularity falls 6 points in January: pollster
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Brazil accelerated plans to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus after an early start by the state of Sao Paulo added pressure on President Jair Bolsonaro to move faster to stem an incipient loss of popularity.
The government began distributing on Monday 6 million doses of a shot produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd in partnership with Sao Paulo’s Butantan Institute to all of its 27 states, giving the green light for immunizations to begin right away, according to an official statement. Less than 24 hours before, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello had said the nationwide campaign would kick off on Wednesday.