Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday he planned to make his identities public despite previous death threats, and asked for the names of health officials that had approved COVID 19 vaccines for children in Brazil.
In late October, Brazil's health regulator Anvisa released a statement saying five of its directors had received death threats over the possible approval of COVID 19 vaccines for children aged between five and 11 years old. The approval for the Pfizer shot was granted by the agency on Thursday.
Anvisa said it had reported emailed threats to police and prosecutors.
In a live weekly broadcast on multiple social media platforms, Bolsonaro said he does not interfere in Anvisa's internal affairs, but had asked for the officials names so that the public could come to its own judgments. Bolsonaro has consistently questioned the efficacy and safety of coronavirus vaccines and criticized all forms of social distancing. His handling of the coronaviruses, which has claimed over 618,000 lives in Brazil, is widely cited as a reason his popularity has plummeted this year.
Most recent polls have the right-wing former army captain's approval rating in the low 20 s.
Anvisa did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.