BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa said late Saturday that it had approved the introduction of 2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, although the injection has not yet been completed. licensed for use in the country.
Anvisa said it approved the import request from the Fiocruz government’s federal biochemical plant on Thursday.
Introducing the doses before consent is given will allow the vaccine to start as soon as Anvisa is used, the regulator said. Brazil has not yet approved any vaccinations.
Fiocruz will apply for emergency use of the vaccine by Wednesday, its president, Nísia Trindade, said last week.
Brazil has recorded the second most deadly revolution of COVID-19 after the United States alone. The third highest number of coronavirus cases is in the largest country in South America, with the health ministry recording more than 7.7 million, after the United States and India.
Reporting by Jake Spring; Edited by Daniel Wallis