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Brazil has approved the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines and says it will start a nationwide inoculation programme on Wednesday.

It's an urgent measure, because Brazil has recorded the world's third highest number of infections since the coronavirus pandemic began, only behind the US and India. But the Brazilian president has been accused of delaying the beginning of immunisation - even with the discovery of a new variant of coronavirus in the country.

Dr Eduardo Gomez is Associate Professor in the College of Health at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, USA. He says the situation is so severe he'd recommend neighbouring countries to restrict travel from Brazil:

"Given the fact that this variant is so unknown - we don't know the health effects, we don't know the effect of the vaccine, we don't know how infectious it will be...I think at this point it would be wise to pursue a restriction on travel."

(Photo: Nurse Monica Calazans becomes the first Brazilian to receive a vaccine on Sunday. Credit: EPA)

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