Brazil plans to cancel its orders for Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, Reuters reported Thursday, as Moscow seeks to shore up domestic supplies in the face of a coronavirus surge fueled by the Delta variant.
Brazil would be the second Latin American country to cancel its Sputnik V order after Guatemala did so this week. Two others, Argentina and Mexico, have complained of second-dose shortages amid Russia’s own campaign to kickstart its lagging vaccination drive.
Unlike Guatemala, which faced a delivery delay of a previous Sputnik V order, Reuters reported that Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said its cancelation was due to lapsed deadlines in the registration process with the national health regulator.
Brazil had signed a contract to import 10 million doses from Russia in March. Its pharmaceutical company Uniao Quimica is reportedly still planning to manufacture Sputnik V locally for export to neighboring countries that had approved its use.
Queiroga added that Brazil has also canceled a $316-million contract for 20 million doses of India’s Covaxin vaccine, Reuters reported.
