Correction: Germany’s infectious disease body, the Robert Koch Institute, on Wednesday retracted a report posted earlier on its website that said a first vaccine against the coronavirus could be available as early as autumn. The report also said it would be dangerous to trust that a vaccination from autumn 2020 can control the pandemic. An institute spokeswoman said the report was posted in error and was withdrawn.
The Brazilian state of Parana on Wednesday reached a deal with Russia to produce a COVID-19 vaccine that Moscow has touted as the first to market, the state’s press office said, although details of the agreement were not immediately available.
ILLUSTRATION: Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Parana state had said on Tuesday it was in talks to produce the vaccine, although it was unclear if the state’s research institute would get the necessary regulatory approvals from Brazil’s federal government.
The state press office said the head of the Parana Technology Institute (Tecpar) would host a news conference to discuss the memorandum of understanding at 4:30pm local time.
The Russian vaccine has grabbed headlines and raised safety concerns for going to market while other pharmaceutical companies are still carrying out mass testing.
Brazil has the world’s worse coronavirus outbreak outside the United States, with more than three million confirmed cases and 100,000 deaths, making it a global hub for testing coronavirus vaccines, including British and Chinese candidates.
