RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga on Friday said that Brazil has managed to advance with Janssen, Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical company, the shipment to Brazil of 3 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine.
“We have agreed with Janssen the delivery of another 3 million doses to be administered in June,” said Queiroga.
The Ministry of Health closed a deal with Janssen for the purchase of 38 million doses of the company’s vaccine, with an expected delivery of 16.9 million doses between July and September and 21.1 million between October and December.
Asked about the Minister’s statement, the portfolio confirmed that this is an advance of the contract’s first delivery. Questioned, Janssen had no immediate comment on Queiroga’s statement.
Janssen’s vaccine, which is administered in a single dose unlike others used in Brazil against Covid-19, was approved in March by the Brazilian health regulator ANVISA for use in the country.
So far, Brazil has three vaccines available to immunize the population against Covid-19: Oxford/AstraZeneca, CoronaVac, from the Chinese Sinovac, and Pfizer.
Brazil has so far immunized 47.6 million people with the first dose, representing 22.6% of the population, but only 22.7 million with the two doses, equivalent to 10.8%.