Bolsonaru “Buy Russian Vaccine” in Crisis of Impeachment

Bloomberg: “Thousands of people protest on’impeachment call’ in northern city Manaus”

[아시아경제 조유진 기자] Brazilian President Zaire Bolsonaro, who is at risk of impeachment due to the controversy over Corona 19 insolvency, has expressed his intention to purchase Russia’s Corona 19 vaccine’Sputnik V’.

On the 30th (local time), President Bolsonaru announced that if the National Hygiene Monitoring Bureau of the Ministry of Health approves the use on that day, it will begin to purchase Sputnik V.

President Bolsonaro said that with a budget of 20 billion real (about 4.1 trillion won) for the purchase of the Corona 19 vaccine, Sputnik V will also be purchased once the approval of the National Sanitation Bureau comes out.

The decision to purchase a vaccine in Russia came amid growing controversy over impeachment for poor response to Corona 19. President Bolsonaro, like former US President Donald Trump, underestimated the severity of Corona 19 as a type of cold, causing controversy. He objected to the initial use of the vaccine even though he was confirmed and recovered from Corona 19, and made an absurd claim that “if you get the Corona 19 vaccine, you can turn into a crocodile.”

The Bloomberg news agency reported that thousands of protesters over the weekend in Manaus, a city in northern Brazil, came out on the streets to protest the impeachment of President Bolsonaro.

Earlier, five opposition parties, including the left-wing Workers Party, announced on the 15th that they would initiate an impeachment bill, criticizing President Bolsonaro for ignoring the quarantine guidelines and spreading false information to increase the damage of Corona 19.

Brazil’s governors have demanded approval and purchase of Sputnik V through Congress, saying that in a situation where Corona 19 is reproliferating, vaccines should be secured as much as possible.

So far, only two types of vaccines have been approved for emergency use by the National Hygiene and Monitoring Bureau: Coronavirus and British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca vaccine.

Earlier, a large Brazilian pharmaceutical company, Uniang Kimica, requested emergency use approval on the 15th with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for the export and overseas production of Sputnik V.

It was reported that the National Hygiene Monitoring Bureau refused to approve emergency use due to the fact that Sputnik V did not meet the minimum standards required for urgent use approval, such as not undergoing a phase 3 clinical trial.

However, in a statement issued by the Russian embassy in Brazil, RDIF argued that the State Hygiene Bureau did not refuse approval for emergency use of Sputnik V, but requested additional information.

Sputnik V, which was approved by Russia for the first time in the world in August last year, was approved after phase 1 and 2 trials without conducting a phase 3 clinical trial, raising concerns about efficacy and safety.

Reporter Jo Yu-jin [email protected]