The number of confirmed cases has reached 2,917,562 in the country, an increase of 54,801 cases in the last 24 hours.

While at least 8,318 patients are being treated in intensive care units, more than 2,047,660 patients suffering from coronavirus have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Sao Paulo, the country’s most-populated state, continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil. The state has so far reported more than 599,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with at least 24,448 deaths.

On the other hand, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro issued a decree on Thursday that makes possible resources for production and acquisition of the vaccine against Covid-19, produced by AstraZeneca laboratory and University of Oxford.

The decree provides an extraordinary budget credit of R$ 1.9 billion so that Fiocruz can start the production of immunobiological.

The Acting Minister of Health Eduardo Pazuello participated in the signing ceremony of the decree at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia.

Pazuello stated that the vaccine could be available for Brazilians by December or January, calling the vaccine the most promising in the world to fight coronavirus. (ILKHA)