Bolsonaro urges state governors to unite in fight against COVID-19

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasília today (Dec. 16) said that the solution to the pandemic includes union among local governments. The statement was made during the launch ceremony of the National Plan for the Operationalization of the Vaccine Against COVID-19 at the Planalto presidential palace.

Addressing an audience of state governors, Bolsonaro said “the great force is the union to seek the solution to something that has afflicted us for months. If any of us overreacted or even exaggerated, it was because they were eager to find an answer. Indeed, [the pandemic] has afflicted us since the beginning. We didn’t know what this virus was—for the most part, we still don’t. And we, as brothers, are in the imminence of presenting a concrete alternative to get rid of this evil: the National Plan for the Operationalization of the Vaccine Against COVID-19,” the president declared.

Bolsonaro further mentioned the role of experts amid the challenges posed by the pandemic in the country. “Many work to meet this goal [finding solutions to the pandemic situation]—most anonymously. But they were crucial for us to come to this day. We are all responsible to seek a solution to this problem”, he said.

Anvisa

“We have Anvisa [Brazil’s national sanitary regulator], which has always been a reference point, and continues to play a key role in the decision about what vaccine will be made available to all Brazilians,” he added.

According to Bolsonaro, the solution “is nearly here, and we await the development of other efforts.” He noted that the Economy Ministry has made $3.91 billion available for the purchase of vaccines “from the company that meets the safety and efficiency criteria of our Anvisa.”

In his address, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello underscored the historic role of Brazil’s health care network, and said that Anvisa is a state agency working to benefit the nation.

“It was our predecessors who created the SUS [Brazil’s public health care system] and organized the immunization program,” he stated. “What matters most today is not the presentation of the plan, but rather to show that we’re all together and that all states of the nation will be treated equally and proportionately. All Brazilians will receive the vaccine free of charge, in egalitarian fashion—vaccines registered and guaranteed in their safety and efficiency,” he stated.

The plan

The plan is divided into six axes, which include descriptions on the target population for the vaccine, the vaccines already acquired by the government and those still being studied, the process of making immunization operational, the logistic scheme for countrywide vaccine distribution, and the strategies for communication in a national campaign.

The document unveiled by the president shows no date for the beginning of the vaccination, as requested by Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, rapporteur in motions on COVID-19 at the Supreme Court.