São Paulo plans regional COVID-19 vaccine exports

São Paulo state is in talks with several Latin American governments to export COVID-19 vaccines.

The move boosts governor João Doria’s profile and could increase China’s regional influence. 

Doria’s administration said Thursday that Sinovac’s Coronavac vaccine, developed jointly with São Paulo’s Butantan, is 78% effective in general and 100% effective in serious cases.

None of the clinical subjects developed any side effects.

"Butantan has a capacity to produce 1mn doses of this vaccine per day, and we are already engaged in talks with other countries in the region, such as Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay and Honduras, that are interested in that," Butantan’s director Dimas Covas said during a television interview.

Covas added that talks with Argentina are most advanced. 

São Paulo will request the approval from health authority Anvisa and expects to start a vaccination campaign on January 25, prioritizing the most vulnerable groups. 

The campaign could provide general health and economic improvements, as São Paulo is Brazil’s most populous state and an economic powerhouse. 

Brazil has been severely affected, with infections rising again in recent weeks.

The vaccine issue has become political as it strengthens Doria’s position against his former ally, President Jair Bolsonaro. Doria already confirmed a presidential run for 2022. 

Tensions with Bolsonaro also arise because of the cooperation with China. If the vaccine export plans materialize, the Asian country's influence would also grow.

Bolsonaro, however, said the federal government should only invest in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.