Brazil will be begin testing volunteers with an experimental covid-19 vaccine Tuesday, a day after the vaccine arrived in the country from China's Sinovac biopharmaceutical company.
The Sao Paulo state government announced 12 research centers in six Brazilian states will perform the 9,000 tests over the next 90 days.
The Hospital das Clinicas, the main facility treating covid-19 patients in Sao Paulo, is the first center to begin testing.
Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria said, if the tests are successful, the vaccine will be manufactured by Brazil's Butantan Institute at the start of next year, with 120 million doses distributed for free nationwide.
Dimas Covas, Butantan Institute director said, the CoronaVac is the most advanced vaccine in historical terms, because it is a well-known technology used in the production of other vaccines.
Covas said their sole competition is against the epidemic.
So far, more than 2,100,000 people have contracted the virus in Brazil and more than 80,000 deaths from COVID-19 have been confirmed.
