Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, a nurse in
The Board of Directors of Anvisa, the Brazilian health regulatory agency, unanimously voted Sunday to grant emergency use to vaccines developed by both Chinese company Sinovac and
Shortly after, nurse
Calazans, who is considered high risk to experience severe complications if she contracts the coronavirus as she suffers from hypertension and diabetes, works in the intensive care unit at a
"It's not just a vaccine," she said. "It is the restart of a life that can be fair, without prejudice and with the guarantee that we will all have the same conditions to live with dignity, with health and well-being."
The vaccine developed by
The
Vanuzia Costa Santos, 50, became the first indigenous person in
In a village of about 200 families, Santos works as a nurse technician and social worker.
"I was very happy to participate in this moment," she said. "I am a defender of life, other vaccines, prevention and health. We must value education, science and this can be reconciled by maintaining a belief, with the prayers and traditional medicine of my people."
The vaccination campaign began as the country continues to battle infections.
On Sunday, the country reported 518 deaths and 31,394 cases, lifting its totals to nearly 210,000 deaths and 8.5 million cases, making
Last week, the
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