Sao Paulo state to vaccinate residents in January, ahead of rest of Brazil

SAO PAULO: Brazil's most populous state plans to start vaccinating its population against COVID-19 on Jan. 25, Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria said on Monday, a move set to stoke further tension with the federal government, which expects to roll out its own immunization plan at least a month later.

The ambitious timeline comes even though the vaccine Sao Paulo plans to use, developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd , has yet to be approved by health regulator Anvisa.

Doria has frequently clashed over the vaccine with President Jair Bolsonaro, an aggressive China critic who has baselessly dismissed the Sinovac candidate as lacking credibility.

A successful early rollout would mark a significant political victory for Doria, a center-right politician who is expected to run against Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential elections.

"Any Brazilian on Sao Paulo state soil will be able to take the vaccine," Doria said at a news conference.

Sao Paulo expects to receive 46 million doses by the end of the year of the Sinovac shot, which is undergoing late-stage trials in Brazil.

In contrast, the federal government's inoculation program, predominantly using the AstraZeneca vaccine, is only set to begin in March.

Any vaccine needs regulator approval and Bolsonaro has moved to put allies into key positions at Anvisa, stoking fears the body could suffer political pressure.

The Sao Paulo government said it aims to vaccinate 9 million people in the first phase of the program. It will also make 4 million doses of the vaccine immediately available to other states.

Doria said a number of mayors and some state governors have contacted him personally about the vaccine.

Health professionals and indigenous Brazilians will get the first dose starting Jan. 25 and a second on Feb. 15, according to officials.

Other groups, including people over 75 years old, will start getting the vaccine on Feb. 8.