MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil purchases 20 million doses of India's Bharat Biotech vaccine

The health ministry in a statement said the contract will assure the country 20 million shots, with the first eight million expected to arrive in March

Brazil's health ministry on Thursday signed a deal with India's Bharat Biotech to purchase 20 million doses of Covaxin, a Covid 19 vaccine. The news came a day before Brazil marks one year since the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in the country after a Sao Paulo businessman returning from a trip to Italy tested positive.

The health ministry in a statement said the contract will assure the country 20 million shots, with the first eight million expected to arrive in March. The next batch of another eight million will likely reach Brazil in April and May.

The deal comes as Brazil on Thursday crossed the grim milestone of 250,000 deaths due to novel coronavirus with 1,541 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the second-highest daily death toll.

So far, Brazil has vaccinated less than four cent of its population of 210 people and certain cities have also stopped immunization campaigns due to the unavailability of vaccine supplies.

Brazil has seen 10,390,461 Covid-19 infections, the third-highest globally after the United States and India.