BRAZIL TURNS COVID TIDE

Despite a slow start plagued by much controversy that still haunts President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s coronavirus vaccination campaign is now one of the fastest and farthest-reaching in the world.

While boasting a globally renowned vaccination system, the rollout was delayed by political bickering under a president who belittled the pandemic and spread lies.

But the country with the world’s second-highest Covid death toll at 588,000 fatalities has seen its vaccination rate rise and its death rate fall as imported jabs started arriving and local production began.

In the past three months, the number of Brazilians with at least one jab has almost tripled to cover 67.6 per cent of the population – higher than the US on 63.4 per cent.

Only 36 per cent are fully jabbed, but it puts Brazil in third place among the world’s 10 most populous countries.