Health Minister Announces Contract with Butantan to Purchase 100 Million Doses of Coronavac

Eduardo Pazuello states that immunizers will be distributed equally and proportionally to all states

Brasília

Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello announced on Thursday (7) that the ministry has signed a contract for the purchase of 100 million doses of Coronavac - an immunizer developed by the Butantan Institute with the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac.

According to the minister, the contract forecasts the first 46 million doses to be delivered by April, and for the rest (54 million) to be passed on to the federal government by the São Paulo Institute along the year.

Instituto Butantan
Butantan Institute - USP Imagens


The extra edition of "Diário Oficial da União" was published in the late afternoon with a waiver of bidding for the acquisition of the vaccine in the amount of R$ 2.7 billion. According to Pazuello, each dose of the Butantan vaccine will cost just over US$ 10. As two doses will be needed, he calculates an expenditure of US$ 21 per person to be immunized.

According to Elcio Franco, executive secretary of the Ministry of Health, the acquisition of the second lot is included in the contract as a purchase option, which needs to be confirmed by the government later.

Pazuello also stated that all Butantan production will be incorporated into the PNI (National Immunization Plan).

Translated by Cassy Dias

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