Rio De Janerio: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said again on Thursday that he is not going to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The statement was followed by some wild and unsubstantiated claims of side effects.
"Another thing that has to be made very clear here is that there, at Pfizer, it is very clear in the contract - "we are not responsible for any side effects". If you become an alligator it is your problem; I am not going to talk about another animal because it would not be wise, if you become a superman, if some women start to grow a beard or if some men start to talk like women it is not going to be my fault," Bolsonaro said.
Earlier on Thursday, Brazil's Supreme Court ruled that COVID-19 vaccination can be mandatory, marking a blow to the nation's nascent anti-vax movement.
However, the Court also said Brazilians may not be vaccinated against their will. The ruling paves the way for the state and municipal governments to approve laws imposing fines or restrictive measures for anyone refusing to take a vaccine.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who recovered from COVID-19 earlier this year, has repeatedly said that he will not take any vaccine and opposed mandatory immunization.
He has also sown scepticism about potential side effects, particularly from the CoronaVac shot developed by Chinese firm Sinovac that is being produced by Sao Paulo's state-run Butantan Institute.
Opinion polls have shown growing resistance to vaccination, with about one-fifth of Brazilians surveyed by pollster Datafolha this month saying they do not intend to take a shot, more than double the percentage four months earlier. Brazil's health regulator ANVISA is yet to approve any shot for mass immunization.
AP
