Brazil suspends use of millions of doses of China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine
Americas
Brazil suspends use of millions of doses of Chinas Sinovac coronavirus vaccine
By Andrew Jeong
Today at 5:15 a.m. EDT
Brazils health regulator suspended the use of just over 12.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine manufactured by Chinas Sinovac after learning that vials containing the shots were filled at an unauthorized production base.
The suspension is for 90 days as an investigation is carried out, said Anvisa, the regulator, which announced the decision in a statement Saturday. The Butantan Institute, a Sao Paulo biomedical center that has partnered with Sinovac to fill the vaccine for local usage, notified Anvisa about the irregularity the prior day, the agency said.
The manufacturing unit responsible for the filling was not inspected and was not approved by Anvisa, the regulator said in the statement. Thus it is necessary to adopt a temporary measure to avoid the exposure of the population to a possible imminent risk.
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By Andrew Jeong
Andrew Jeong is a reporter for The Washington Post in its Seoul hub. Twitter
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