Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/world/asia/brazil-china-vaccine-covid19.html
On Monday, Brazil halted a late-stage trial of a Chinese vaccine that has been considered a front runner in the race for a coronavirus shot. Little information has been revealed except that the vaccine, called CoronaVac and produced by the Chinese company Sinovac, caused a “serious adverse” reaction in a participant. This might include death, disability, hospitalization, birth defects, or other “clinically significant events.”
A second wave of coronavirus is predicted in the upcoming months, so the competition for perfecting a vaccine has intensified. CoronaVac has been seen as a leading candidate out of the 11 experimental vaccines currently in Phase 3 trials, and tens of thousands of people have been permitted to receive the vaccine. Coincidentally, on the same day that Brazil suspended the Sinovac trial, the American company Pfizer announced that its vaccine trials suggested that its drug was more than 90% effective.
The “serious event” that caused Brazil to halt their trials has been deemed unrelated to the vaccine, so experts wonder if the reason is actually politically-motivated. President Jair Bolsonaro is known for downplaying the threat of the virus and blaming China, and recently stated, “The Brazilian people will not be anyone’s guinea pig.”
Brazil’s abrupt stop of CoronaVac testing will certainly leave an impact on the country. Medical experts are aware that the government is exhibiting suspicious behavior, and fear for the future of Brazilian people. Could unrelated political tension caused by a widely-criticized President jeopardize the country’s ability to receive the coronavirus shots in the near future?
The race for a coronavirus vaccine is an example of the collective goods problem. The world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, including British-Swedish Astrazeneca and American Johnson & Johnson, are all independently working towards a common goal that will essentially benefit every person on the planet. Nonetheless, because it’s so difficult in international affairs to all work selflessly for the common good, most of the time there is opposition and conflicting interests. In this situation, it’s Brazil.
Sinovac said it had hoped to complete the trials by the end of the year, but the suspension of the trial in Brazil could now affect the process in other countries, potentially disrupting the proposed timeline. Medical experts have called Brazil’s actions “alarming” and “a violation of the normal process.” And still, no one knows the true motivation behind Bolsonaro’s actions. This won’t just affect Brazil and South America, but the whole world.