São Paulo – An Emirates plane arrived in Guarulhos Airport, Brazil on Tuesday (23) morning carrying two million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that had originated in India.
The plane left Mumbai on Monday 22 at 2am (BRT) and first stopped in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The vaccines are headed to the Immunobiological Technology Institute (Biomanguinhos) of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Rio de Janeiro.
Manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, the doses will go through Biomanguinhos to be labeled and then distributed to Brazilians according to the National Program for Immunization. In January, two million doses had arrived from India. Another eight million are expected to arrive in the following months.
The Emirates airline has worked to fight the COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic by flying medication, medical equipment and other essential supplies, and now vaccines.
Find out more on Emirates and COVID-19:
- Emirates SkyCargo, UNICEF speed up vaccine distribution
- Flights from São Paulo to Dubai to remain suspended
Emirates SkyCargo, the cargo division of the carrier, reached an agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to prioritize transport of COVID-19 vaccines, medication, and medical equipment. The initiative relies is helped by the Covax Facility, a worldwide effort to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Emirates passenger services from Brazil Dubai remain suspended until next Sunday (February 28). The airline announced it would suspend São Paulo-Dubai passenger services from February 1st through 10 and then decided to keep passenger services from São Paulo suspended until the end of the month, but resumed flights from Dubai to São Paulo.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
