(Adds details from news conference)
SAO PAULO, Nov 23 (Reuters) - São Paulo Health Secretary
Jean Gorinchteyn said on Monday he expects Brazil's regulator to
approve the use of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's
Sinovac by January.
The Butantan biomedical research institute that is running
the late-stage trials of the Sinovac vaccine in Brazil has now
reached the minimum number of infected cases to register the
vaccine, Gorinchteyn said at a news briefing.
João Gabbardo, head of the Sao Paulo's COVID-19 contingency
committee, said at the same event that he expects China's health
regulator to approve Sinovac's CoronaVac in December, which
could hasten approval in Brazil.
The Sinovac vaccine has been promoted by Sao Paulo Governor
João Doria, a move which has put him at odds with President Jair
Bolsonaro who is a vocal China skeptic.
Bolsonaro has attacked the Chinese vaccine for lacking
credibility and it remains unclear whether the federal
government will include it in its national inoculation program.
Dimas Covas, director of Butantan, said on Monday that
Brazil's health ministry now has all the information needed to
include Coronavac in the national program.
The ministry said on Sunday it planned to sign non-binding
letters of intent to buy vaccines from Pfizer Inc,
India's Bharat Biotech, the Russian Direct Investment Fund,
Moderna Inc and Janssen, a unit of Johnson & Johnson
, but made no mention of Sinovac's candidate.
(Reporting by Eduardo Simoes and Anthony Boadle, writing by
Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by Bernadette Baum)