MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro administration says Brazil has guaranteed access to 300 million Covid-19 vaccines

Brazil's health ministry said vaccination of risk groups, elderly, health staff and native Brazilians, will take place within four months of the vaccine's approval

The government of President Jair Bolsonaro said that Brazil has guaranteed access to 300 million vaccines, mainly those developed by Oxford University along with AstraZeneca pharmaceutical and Brazil's Fiocruz foundation, as well as vaccines from the Covax Facility international initiative.

The government is also in talks with Pfizer to acquire another 70 million vaccines.

Brazil's health ministry said on Tuesday that officials expect to be able to vaccinate at-risk groups -- the elderly, health professionals and native Brazilians -- within four months of the vaccine's approval, and all Brazilians within 16 months.

The statement followed a court order demanding dates for the start and end of the national vaccination program.

Details of Brazil's national vaccination plan have been caught up in political infighting between Bolsonaro and Joao Doria, the governor of Sao Paulo state and a likely candidate in the 2022 presidential race.

Doria supports including the CoronaVac vaccine -- developed by Sinovac, a private Chinese lab, in collaboration with Sao Paulo's Butantan Institute – in the national vaccination plan.