India / Brazil Prez Bolsonaro asks PM Modi to speed up shipment of 2M vaccine doses

New Delhi: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, who recently struck a diplomatic deal for Indian vaccines, on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking to expedite the process of shipment of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine that is being developed by Serum Institute.

“To enable the immediate implementation of our National Immunization Program, I would appreciate… the supply to Brazil, with the possible urgency and without jeopardizing the Indian vaccination program, of 2 million doses,” Bolsonaro said in the letter.

The letter comes days after the federally-funded Fiocruz biomedical centre said the active ingredients needed to fill and finish millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in Brazil. As a result, what was previously slated to arrive in the country on Saturday, may not arrive until the end of the month.

Brazil appears to be at least three or four weeks away from launching any formal immunization campaign against COVID-19. In contrast, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica and other countries in the region have already begun giving shots to their populations.