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The investigation into the management of the pandemic in the Brazilian Senate tightens the siege on Bolsonaro

2021-05-15T05:43:11.702Z


The president of Pfizer in Latin America, Carlos Murillo, confirms that the Brazilian government blocked the negotiation in the purchase of vaccines


Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil, shows a box of chloroquine, a drug whose effectiveness against COVID-19 has not been proven, in a July 2020 image.Adriano Machado / Reuters

The testimony of the president of Pfizer in Latin America, Carlos Murillo, in the commission investigating the pandemic in Brazil has further exposed the inaction of the Government of Jair Bolsonaro to face the coronavirus crisis. In his statement on Thursday, he said that the president and his Ministry of Health ignored at least five offers of vaccines - which would amount to millions of doses - and recorded the worst week for the government in the commission of inquiry. The previous day, the former Secretary of Communication, Fábio Wajngarten, declared that the president himself had been formally warned about the lack of action of the Government to buy vaccines from the US pharmaceutical giant. The testimonies are compelling arguments in the hands of the commission's accusers, at a time when more than 430.000 Brazilians have died of covid-19 and the vaccination campaign continues slow and erratic as there is a lack of active ingredients to make the vaccines, which China should supply.

This Thursday it became clear that Brazil could have received 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine in December of last year.

The US pharmaceutical company submitted five proposals to the federal government between August and November.

The first three anticipated the delivery of this quantity of vaccines still in 2020. The last two, only in the first quarter of this year.

The Ministry of Health, then headed by General Eduardo Pazuello, did not respond to any.

“Our offer on August 26 was valid for 15 days.

After those 15 days, the Brazilian government had not rejected the offer, but neither had it accepted it, ”said Murillo.

The main objection was the clauses of the contract, which Brazil considered abusive, but which 66 other countries accepted without objecting.

The Brazilian government signed the contract with the pharmaceutical company until March 19, 2021, 234 days after Pfizer's first offer.

Had it been signed last August, when the first proposals were made, the country would have received 18.5 million doses by June of this year.

The current contract provides for the delivery of 13.5 million vaccines in the first half and another 86.5 million until the end of the year.

This week a new contract is expected for 100 million more vaccines from this laboratory.

More information

  • The Senate will investigate Bolsonaro while Brazil registers more than 3,000 daily deaths from covid

  • Bolsonaro's political future depends on the investigation into the pandemic in Brazil

With the presentation of the negotiation schedule with the pharmaceutical company, the last two sessions of the investigation commission have given more ammunition to the opposition, led by Senator Renan Calheiros, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement party (MDB), which tries to support two theses: that the government deliberately preferred to invest in group immunity rather than buying vaccines and that there was parallel advice from Bolsonaro on how to deal with the disease. The second question was also made clear during Murillo's testimony, which revealed that on December 7, two directors of Pfizer met at the Planalto Palace with Wajngarten and councilor Carlos Bolsonaro, the president's son and who does not hold any position in the federal structure.

“How many Brazilian lives could have been saved if we had had these vaccines since last year? I think the omission that occurred is clear, "said opponent Randolfe Rodrigues, from the Sustainability Network party (REDE), outlining the opposition's strategy. The Bolsonaristas, however, claimed that the government was negotiating the terms of the contract, considered draconian, and waiting for the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to approve the vaccine. "In December the vaccination could not have started, because Anvisa had not yet approved it," said Marcos Rogério, from the Democrats party (DEM). The senator tried to create the narrative that hardly any country could vaccinate its population that quickly, since the US regulatory agency did not approve Pfizer's vaccine until early December.However, that month at least six countries that had signed previous contracts had already started vaccinating: Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

There are multiple

impeachment

requests

and criminal investigation based on the conduct of the Bolsonaro government in the health crisis. None has prospered, either because of the political veto in the Chamber of Deputies or because of the disinterest of the current attorney general, Augusto Aras, aligned with Bolsonaro. For this reason, the opposition reinforces the artillery in the investigation commission, while the government's supporters react by generating tension and diverting attention. For example, Senators Jorginho Mello of the Liberal Party (PL) and Fernando Bezerra Coelho (MDB) tried to get Murillo to explain why Pfizer was delaying the delivery of vaccines in Italy, when the executive's activities are focused on Latin America. During his career in pharmaceuticals, he held management positions in Bolivia, Chile and Brazil, before assuming his current position.

The fear of the former Minister of Health

In practice, so far, the commission has already achieved one of its objectives: to expose on television, three times a week - the sessions take place from Tuesday to Thursday - the mistakes made by the president and his team.

Since it started, it has not given the government a truce.

The feeling that the Executive has no defense in the commission has become even more evident with the two

habeas corpus

appeals

filed in favor of Eduardo Pazuello, an active Army general and former Minister of Health.

Two requests have been presented to the Federal Supreme Court: one so that he can remain silent and another to veto his possible arrest during his statement, scheduled for next day 19. The fear of being arrested grew after the commission's rapporteur, Senator Renan Calheiros, called for Wajngarten's arrest in Wednesday's session for perjury. The president of the commission, Senator Omar Aziz, from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), did not respond to the request, but sent a letter to the Prosecutor's Office to assess whether it was necessary to investigate the former Secretary of Communication.

In the precautionary measure presented to the Supreme Court, a lawyer who does not have the power to represent Pazuello affirms that the commission of inquiry has become an “exception court”, that there is a clear intention to arrest the general and that he cannot be converted. in the “objective of the political desires of parliamentarians who do not have the morals even to occupy the position they occupy and, furthermore, demand a different behavior from that of someone who truly worked and honored the colors of this nation to act with the weapons that he had against an invisible and unknown enemy ”.

The other request was signed by the State Attorney General, André Mendonça, who cites the risk of arrest and asks that "Pazuello be guaranteed the constitutional prerogative of not presenting evidence against himself."

The Supreme Court is asked to defend the general, because he will testify on facts related to the period in which he was Minister of State.

Another example of the government's tone of despair, or at least discomfort.

On Wednesday, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the president's eldest son, was on the inquiry commission only to stir up spirits and insult the speaker.

PFIZER PROPOSAL TIMELINE

- August 14, 2020. The pharmaceutical company made two offers:


1) 30 million doses, which would be delivered as follows: 500,000 doses until December 2020; 1.5 million in the first quarter of 2021; 5 million in the second quarter; 14 million in the third quarter and 9 million in the fourth quarter.


2) 70 million doses, which would be delivered as follows: 500,000 doses until December 2020; 1.5 million in the first quarter of 2021; 5 million in the second quarter; 33 million in the third quarter and 30 million in the fourth quarter.


- August 18, 2020. Pfizer made two more offers:


1) 30 million doses, to be delivered as follows: 1.5 million doses in 2020; 1.5 million in the first quarter of 2021; 5 million in the second quarter; 14 million in the third quarter and 8 million in the fourth quarter.


2) 70 million doses, to be delivered as follows: 1.5 million doses in 2020; 1.5 million in the first quarter of 2021; 5 million in the second quarter; 33 million in the third quarter and 29 million in the fourth quarter.


- August 26, 2020. The company made two other proposals:


1) 30 million doses, to be delivered as follows: 1.5 million doses in 2020; 2.5 million in the first quarter of 2021; 8 million in the second quarter; 10 million in the third quarter and 8 million in the fourth quarter.


2) 70 million doses, to be delivered as follows: 1.5 million in 2020; 3 million in the first quarter of 2021; 14 million in the second quarter; 26.5 million in the third quarter and 25 million in the fourth quarter.


- November 11, 2020. The pharmaceutical company only makes one proposal, of 70 million doses, which was an update of the last proposal:


1) The delivery of the 70 million doses would be done as follows: 2 million doses in the first quarter of 2021;

6.5 million in the second quarter;

32 million in the third quarter and 29.5 million in the fourth quarter.


- November 24, 2020. Pfizer repeats the proposal made on the 11th, with minor changes in the conditions, but not in the delivery volume.


- February 15, 2021. Pfizer presents a new proposal, with the delivery of 13

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Source: elparis

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