Sao Paulo authorities plead with China to release vaccines

Authorities of Sao Paulo state are mobilizing on Wednesday to convince the Chinese government to authorize the export to Brazil of the raw material needed to bottle millions of COVID-19 vaccines

SAO PAULO -- Authorities in Brazil's most populous state on Wednesday said they have mobilized to try to convince the Chinese government to authorize the export of raw material to make millions of COVID-19 vaccines needed amid a sudden shortage. The South American nation is highly dependent on a shot made by pharmaceutical company Sinovac for its immunization efforts, and in recent weeks several Brazilian cities have either suspended or delayed vaccinations due to faltering supplies. The factory that produces the vaccine locally, at Sao Paulo's state-run Butantan Institute, has slowed production due to lack of raw material, and Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and his economy minister, Paulo Guedes, made statements critical of China this month. Sao Paulo's Gov. João Doria — an adversary of Bolsonaro's — implied their comments may have created the bottleneck. Hours after speaking to China’s ambassador to Brazil, Doria said in a press conference that Bolsonaro and Guedes should apologize to the Asian nation for their recent comments so China can resume exports.