After Covaxin, AstraZeneca in trouble in Brazil; Bolsonaro govt asked for bribe for per dose, claims report

The Bolsonaro government in Brazil asked for a bribe of $1 per dose of the AztraZeneca vaccine, a representative of a company that sought to negotiate 400 million vaccine doses has alleged. AstraZeneca, however, clarified that it was not dealing with private players in Brazil’s pharmaceutical sector for such allegations to be authentic.

After the corruption scandal surrounding Covaxin, India's homegrown Covid-19 vaccine, media reports in Brazil now suggest that there could be irregularities in the procurement of the AstraZeneca vaccine as well. According to Folha de S Paulo newspaper, the Bolsonaro government in Brazil asked for a bribe per dose of the AztraZeneca vaccine. The paper claims the Director of the Ministry of Health, Roberto Ferreira Dias, appointed by Ricardo Barros, would have asked for US$ 1 per dose of AstraZeneca.