Brazil’s Butantan aims to supply 40 million doses of its COVID-19 jab by year-end

Graves of people who passed away due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are pictured at the Parque Taruma cemetery in Manaus, Brazil, on May 20, 2021. Picture taken May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

BRASILIA — Brazil’s Butantan Institute could supply at least 40 million doses of its own COVID-19 vaccine called Butanvac in the fourth quarter of 2021, said Director Dimas Covas on Thursday.

Speaking before a Senate panel investigating the federal government’s handling of the pandemic, Covas said clinical trials of the new vaccine can be concluded quickly, though they still need to be authorized by Brazilian health regulator Anvisa.