Tag: Brazil

Brazil’s Bolsonaro going to UN meet despite being unvaccinated

  BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil’s Covid-unvaccinated President Jair Bolsonaro said Thursday he will attend next week’s United Nations conclave in New York, effectively defying city authorities who recently announced proof-of-vaccination requirements for all attending leaders and diplomats. “Next week I will be at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), where I will give an opening speech” on Tuesday, the president said during a social media broadcast. It will be “a calm speech, very objective, focused […]

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Pfizer/BioNTech ink vaccine deal with Brazil manufacturer

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Covid-19 vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech have joined forces with Brazilian pharmaceutical company Eurofarma to distribute doses in Latin America, the companies announced Thursday. Production will start next year and at full capacity will produce 100 million finished doses, the statement said. “Everyone — regardless of financial condition, race, religion or geography — deserves access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines,” Pfizer chief Albert Bourla said in the statement. “Our new […]

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Bolsonaro lashes out at new probe: ‘Brazil is under attack’

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — President Jair Bolsonaro lashed out Tuesday at electoral authorities for ordering an investigation of his campaign against Brazil’s electronic voting system, saying he refused to be “intimidated” and that the country “is under attack.” The far-right president, who is up for re-election next year, has recently stepped up his long-time criticism of Brazil’s voting system, claiming — without evidence — that it is riddled with fraud and insisting there will be […]

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Surfing gives hope to Brazilians with disabilities

by Rodrigo ALMONACID SANTOS, Brazil (AFP) — Doctors told Malu Mendes that she would never walk normally again, but now she is a world champion at riding waves. Miguel Almeida can barely see but has been able to sense the formation of waves since he was a child. Like many Brazilians, both have managed to overcome their physical disabilities thanks to surfing. They head to the beaches of Santos in mid-morning to enjoy the waves. […]

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Sinovac’s CoronaVac jab less effective against Gamma variant: study

  PARIS, France (AFP) — The Chinese CoronaVac jab, a key tool in Brazil’s fight against Covid-19, is less effective against the Gamma variant first detected in the virus-ravaged South American country, a study said Friday. Researchers found that antibodies generated by the vaccine work less well against the variant than a previous coronavirus strain, while Gamma may also be able to reinfect people who had previously had the virus. Gamma’s capacity to evade these […]

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Delta variant circulating in Sao Paulo: health official

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — The highly contagious coronavirus Delta variant “is already circulating” in Brazil’s most populated state, Sao Paulo, said authorities Wednesday in the country with the world’s second-highest death toll. The variant, which has boosted infection numbers even in countries with high vaccination rates, “is already indigenous, that is to say, it is already circulating in our environment in people who have not traveled or have had contact with someone who had […]

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Worst June for Brazil Amazon forest fires since 2007: data

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — The Brazilian Amazon has suffered its worst June for forest fires since 2007, official data showed Thursday, indicating another devastating dry season for the world’s largest rainforest. The INPE research institute said its satellites detected 2,308 fires last month, an increase of 2.3 percent from June 2020. The previous record for the month of June was in 2007 with 3,519 fires. The grim statistic comes after May this year saw the […]

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Brazil sets daily record for Covid cases, as pandemic third wave breaks

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil set a new record for Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, with 115,228 new cases identified within 24 hours, the Health Ministry said, confirming the arrival of a third wave of the pandemic. During the same period 2,392 new deaths were recorded, bringing the total to 507,109. Brazil is the second worst-hit in the world in absolute numbers of fatalities, behind the United States which has suffered more than 600,000 deaths. […]

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China gives one-billionth Covid shot as Brazil toll hits milestone

by AFP bureaus BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Sunday announced it had administered its one-billionth shot in the world’s biggest coronavirus inoculation drive as Brazil’s death toll from the pandemic passed 500,000. The global death toll from Covid-19 is now more than 3.8 million and many nations are still battling outbreaks, but vaccine drives in some countries are allowing activities that were unthinkable a few months ago. China’s vaccine milestone comes after the number […]

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Third pandemic wave hits as Brazil surpasses half million COVID deaths

  by Louis GENOT Agence France Presse RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil on Saturday became the second country after the United States to surpass 500,000 Covid-19 deaths as the South American giant grapples with a third wave of the pandemic. “500,000 lives lost due to the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the world,” Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tweeted. The Health Ministry reported 500,800 deaths, including 2,301 in the last 24 hours, a […]

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Brazil’s President Bolsonaro fined for maskless motorcyle rally

  SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was fined $100 Saturday for violating Covid-19 containment measures in Sao Paulo state by failing to wear a face mask and provoking huge crowds at a motorcycle rally for supporters. Thousands of roaring motorcycles took part in the “Accelerate for Christ” rally in Sao Paulo, led by the far-right president, who wore an open-faced helmet and no mask, in violation of state health regulations. Bolsonaro, […]

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Brazil braces for third wave of Covid-19

by Jordi MIRO BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Already reeling from one of the highest death tolls in the pandemic, Brazil is bracing for the threat of a third wave of Covid-19, fueled by vaccination delays and a lack of containment measures. So far, each pandemic wave has been successively worse in Brazil, peaking at a weekly average of around 1,000 deaths per day in July 2020 during the first wave and 3,000 deaths per day […]

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