Brazilian Olympians to receive Sinovac, Pfizer vaccines

BRASILIA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government said Tuesday it would inoculate the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes using COVID-19 vaccines donated by China's Sinovac and US firm Pfizer.

Around 1,800 Brazilians participating in the Tokyo Games - including coaches, medical staff, officials and journalists - will receive their first doses in the coming days, according to officials.

"We are going to vaccinate our Olympians ... to ensure that they can perform very well at the Tokyo Olympics and bring back medals," health minister Marcelo Queiroga told a news conference.

He added the decision to vaccinate the athletes was made by President Jair Bolsonaro and heeded the advice of health experts.

The doses will be administered in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Brasilia and Belo Horizonte.

The Tokyo Olympics will run from July 23 to August 8, having been postponed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 200 Brazilian athletes have already qualified for the Games and the figure could reach 250 or 300, according to the Brazilian Olympic Committee.