Brazil urges people to continue COVID-19 vaccination

This photo taken on Aug. 31, 2022 shows the production line of COVID-19 vaccine under the Butantan Institute in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Butantan Institute/Handout via Xinhua)

"Despite the end of the state of emergency, the pandemic is not over yet. Take the booster doses and make sure your vaccination schedule is always complete," Lula tweeted.

BRASILIA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday urged people to continue to get COVID-19 vaccines, though the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

"Despite the end of the state of emergency, the pandemic is not over yet. Take the booster doses and make sure your vaccination schedule is always complete," Lula tweeted.

"After three years, today we can finally say we have come out of the COVID-19 health emergency. Unfortunately, over 700,000 people died from the virus in Brazil and I believe that at least half of them could have been saved," he said.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, Brazil has recorded 37.4 million COVID-19 cases with 701,494 deaths.

The current government "will act to preserve lives," the president added. ■