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Portsmouth, UK BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.n1724 on 6 July 2021. Downloaded from Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1724 Covid-19: Vaccine corruption allegations spark protests across Brazil http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1724 Luke Taylor Published: 06 July 2021 Tens of thousands of people marched against Brazil’s Brazil’s vaccination campaign has accelerated in the president Jair Bolsonaro last weekend after the past month but still lags well behind regional leaders. supreme court authorised a criminal investigation Some 13% of Brazilians have been fully vaccinated; into alleged government corruption involving a Chile has fully vaccinated 56% of its population and covid-19 vaccine deal. Demonstrators gathered in Uruguay, 51%.6 more than 40 cities across the country to voice their Paulo Buss, the former president of the country’s anger at the outspoken leader’s mismanagement of leading institute, the Oswaldo Cruz the . Foundation (Fiocruz), said the growing belief that Bolsonaro’s popularity plummeted during the past Bolsonaro bungled the country’s vaccine campaign, year as the country’s public health crisis spiralled not as he denied the threat of the virus but as he and it took a further hit on 2 July when supreme court sought to benefit from it, is causing his own approved requests to investigate a public servant’s supporters to turn against him. claims that the government profited from a deal to “The general public has a growing understanding of buy vaccines.1 the harmfulness of Bolsonaro’s actions during the Luis Ricardo Miranda, who leads the health ministry’s pandemic,” Buss told The BMJ. “The corruption of import division, told a separate inquiry into the his government is now becoming clearer for the Brazilian government’s handling of the pandemic middle class that had supported him before.” that he was pressured to accept a $315m (£228m; 1 Álvares D, Jeantet D. Court OK’s probe of Brazil’s Bolsonaro, who faces €267m) deal with India’s Bharat Biotech for 20 million protests. AP News. 4 July 2021. https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-brazil- 1 covid-19 vaccine doses. President Bolsonaro failed coronavirus-pandemic-health-courts- to act in March when advised of irregularities, 8bd3f0402a44fea594a6ce84ef76b747. including that the Covaxin vaccines were secured 2 Coronavirus: Brazil’s Covid inquiry hears testimony over controversial sooner and at higher prices than other vaccine vaccine deal — as it happened. Financial Times. www.ft.com/con- tent/a112e735-c316-400d-8540-8b9d3b1c669d candidates, despite them being less advanced in 3 Vargas M, Colon L. Deputy talks about a “much bigger” scheme, raises

2 3 http://www.bmj.com/ clinical trials. Brazil’s health ministry has since suspicion about buying covid tests, and quotes Barros’ nominee. suspended the Covaxin deal and the comptroller [Portuguese]. Folha de S. Paulo. 27 June 2021. www1.fol- general’s office is also investigating possible ha.uol.com.br/poder/2021/06/deputado-fala-em-esquema-muito-maior- 4 levanta-suspeita-sobre-compra-de-testes-de-covid-e-cita-indicado-de- irregularities. Both Bolsonaro and Bharat Biotech barros.shtml. 5 have denied the claims. 4 Brazil to suspend covid vaccine deal with India’s Bharat Biotech. Al Jazeera. 30 June 2021. www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/6/30/brazil-to-suspend- The BMJ requested comment from the president’s covid-vaccine-deal-with-indias-bharat-biotech. office on the allegations but did not receive a 5 Brazil to suspend Indian covid-19 vaccine deal as graft claims probed.

response before publication. Reuters. 29 June 2021. www.reuters.com/world/india/brazil-suspend-indian- on 29 September 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. vaccine-deal-graft-allegations-probed-2021-06-29. The allegations of vaccine graft add to a litany of 6 Our World in Data. Coronavirus vaccinations. https://ourworldinda- public grievances with the government’s management ta.org/covid-vaccinations. of the pandemic and have reinvigorated public opposition to Bolsonaro, whom public health experts This article is made freely available for use in accordance with BMJ's website hold largely responsible for the country becoming a terms and conditions for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic or until otherwise covid-19 epicentre. More than 18.8 million cases of determined by BMJ. You may use, download and print the article for any lawful, covid-19 and 525 000 deaths have been reported in non-commercial purpose (including text and data mining) provided that all Brazil — the world’s third and second highest totals, copyright notices and trade marks are retained. respectively. Paulo Lotufo, an epidemiologist at the University of São Paulo, said the president’s promotion of unproven covid-19 cures and refusal to wear a mask or enact public health measures such as lockdowns have aided the virus’ spread and hurt his popularity. But Bolsonaro’s delay in buying vaccines, and now the allegations of corruption, may be the most politically damaging. “For most of the population, including Bolsonaro’s voters, vaccination is the solution to end the pandemic,” Lotufo said. “He not only delayed the immunisation programme, but he did it to get bribes from pharmaceuticals.”

the bmj | BMJ 2021;374:n1724 | doi: 10.1136/bmj.n1724 1