Brazil's health regulator rejected the vaccine brand from Russia amid the surge of COVID cases and deaths in the country. Because of this decision, the developers of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine criticized the country when they refused to import the said brand, Al Jazeera reported.

The country's refusal of the vaccine doses from Russia comes as Brazil Senate pushes through with a probe against their president regarding his handling of the issue. President Jair Bolsonaro was reported to have downplayed the pandemic's threat as he refused lockdowns, arguing that the economic impact would harm the country more than the virus.

READ NEXT: Bolsonaro Says COVID-19 Lockdown Measures Kill the Economy

Brazil Refuses Russian Vaccines

Anvisa, the health regulator of the country, noted that the technical staff has highlighted "inherent risks" and "serious" defects on the Sputnik V vaccine.

However, the developers of the Sputnik V vaccine have retaliated against the decision of Brazil. The vaccine developers noted that the decision of Brazil was "politically motivated," WION reported.

Furthermore, the Russian vaccine developers also tweeted that the 2020 annual report of the United States Department of Health publicly stated that the U.S health attaché had persuaded Brazil to reject the Russian vaccine. 

According to Anvisa, another reason they rejected the vaccine is that experts have flagged Sputnik V's uncertainties. At present, the European Medicines Agency (E.M.A.) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have not yet approved Sputnik V. 

Meanwhile, Brazil's general for health monitoring, Ana Carolina Moreira Marino Araujo, noted that the inherent risks of the Russian vaccine were too great, considering all the documentation presented, data acquired from inspections, and information from other regulators.

Meiruze Freitas, one of Anvisa's directors, hopes that Sputnik V quickly resolves any compliance problems. Freitas also noted that "millions of people need access to safe and effective vaccines."

Sputnik V Developers Retaliated on Brazil's Decisions

Meanwhile, the official Twitter account of Sputnik V said that necessary information and documentation were given to Anvisa. The Russian vaccine developer furthered that they hope that science will be used by the country in making the decision and not political pressure.

Furthermore, Sputnik V also invited Anvisa to a public debate in front of the appropriate committee from Brazil's Congress.

In the last 24 hours, the World Health Organization has reported 32,572 new COVID positive cases in Brazil. Meanwhile, 1,305 COVID-19 related deaths were recorded by the organization. Al Jazeera noted that about 38 million COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered by the country.

Moreover, WION noted that Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine had been approved for use in at least 60 countries, including more than ten countries from Latin and Central America. Meanwhile, Argentina has signed a deal with Russia to reproduce Sputnik V shots, making them the first Latin American country to produce the remedy.

The said vaccine imports from Russia that were rejected were requested by Brazil's state governors, who are battling the second wave of the virus.

READ MORE: Brazil Hits 300,000 COVID-19 Deaths, Bolsonaro Under Scrutiny

WATCH: Brazil health regulator rejects Russia's Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine  - from Global News