Brazil's Health Agency President Says Politics will Not Affect Vaccine Analysis
Antonio Barra Torres says he would take appropriate measures against possible intentional postponement within the agency
Amid a political dispute in the country over the vaccines under development against Covid-19, the president-director of Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), Antonio Barra Torres, denied that the agency would postpone the endorsement to some immunizers, like Coronavac, because of government pressure.
"This is foreseen in the Penal Code somewhere. If we are conceiving the possibility that someone from here intentionally procrastinate, postpone or perform any impediment for medicine to save lives ... I will never be able to consider that. And, if I know, I will take all the appropriate measures," he said.
In an interview with Folha, Barra also said that the vaccine's origin would not be relevant in the agency's analysis, which occurs in a technical way.
In recent days, President Jair Bolsonaro has defended that he will not buy the Chinese vaccine, in reference to Coronavac, which is under development by the Chinese company Sinovac and will be produced in Brazil by the Butantan Institute, linked to the São Paulo government. This Thursday (22), he stated that he does not believe that it transmits security "because of its origin."
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon