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Reuters

Health

Amanda Perobelli

In Brazil, vaccine trial volunteers hope to save lives, not win fame

COVID-19 trial vaccine volunteer Luiz Augusto Menegazzo, 65, a doctor, a volunteer in COVID-19 vaccine trial for Sinovac, poses for a photograph in Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 04, 2020. Menegazzo who is married and has two sons, said: "I think we will remember this moment as a great moment of learning. A chance for humanity to learn, to be more humane, to live better, and for the government to take a closer look at its people." Picture taken with a slow shutter speed. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

From doctors weary of seeing patients die to relatives who lost their loved ones, thousands of Brazilians have volunteered for COVID vaccine trials in one of the world's worst-affected countries in the hope their quiet heroism will save lives.

Latin America's largest country has become a major testing ground for vaccines because of the scale of its outbreak, which has seen more than 7.3 million people infected and over 180,000 killed by the coronavirus.

Jane Cristina Dias Alves, 43, a nurse, a volunteer in COVID-19 vaccine trial for AstraZeneca, poses for a photograph in Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 11, 2020. Alves has a daughter and lives with the parents and with the grandmother. "Two nurses on my team, who are close to me and we talk every day, had COVID-19 and were hospitalized here in the ICU. It was something that moved us all. That influenced my decision – both the fear and also the conviction to join the trial. It strengthened my desire to take part in the trial. To know how much we can make the difference. Having a colleague next to you ill with the virus, taking care of him, knowing he can get worse and even lose his life – that moves something inside you," she said. "People look at me and say, 'Really, you are a volunteer? But you are so young. Isn't that risky?' And I try to put them at ease. We can also be an inspiration to people. To do this, to be a volunteer, it's important to understand your role in society." Picture taken with a slow shutter speed. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Denise Abranches, 47, coordinator of dentistry at a Sao Paulo hospital, was the first volunteer outside Britain to receive the trial vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc.

"I witnessed many lonely deaths here: patients who could not say goodbye to their relatives; relatives who could not say goodbye to their loved ones. When the vaccine trial came, I joined immediately," she told Reuters.

"This global effort of volunteers in search of a vaccine will be remembered and will go down in history," she said. "The gesture of love from volunteers. That's how I'd like to be remembered."

Sergio Aparecido Cleto, 46, a nurse, a volunteer in COVID-19 vaccine trial for Sinovac, poses for a photograph in Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 10, 2020. Cleto is married, has two sons and his wife is pregnant. "I decided to take part in the trial because of my sense of commitment – not only my professional commitment as a nurse, whose essence is to take care, but also a personal commitment, a human commitment. This is about being able to help to find a cure for this disease which scares us so much," he said. Picture taken with a slow shutter speed. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

In addition to the AstraZeneca vaccine, Brazil has also hosted trials for Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech, and China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

While President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been widely condemned for his handling of the pandemic, has pledged not to take any coronavirus vaccine even if its approved by Brazil's health authorities, many volunteers are convinced inoculations are the only way to end the crisis.

Some, such as Monica Aparecida Calazans, a Brazilian nurse who participated in the Sinovac trial, felt a personal obligation to contribute.

Monica Aparecida Calazans, 54, a nurse, a volunteer in COVID-19 vaccine trial for Sinovac, poses for a photograph in Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 10, 2020. Calazans who has one son, said: "My brother, who is 47 years old had COVID-19, had a severe form of the disease. We even thought we would lose him. And then I thought, 'If I don't take the vaccine, we will never know if it works or not.' For him, but for everyone else too, I had the drive to take part in the trial." Picture taken with a slow shutter speed. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli SEARCH "PEROBELLI VACCINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

"My brother, who is 47 years old had COVID-19," she told Reuters. "If I don't take the vaccine, we will never know if it works or not. For him, but for everyone else too, I had the drive to take part in the trial."

The biomedical center running Sinovac's late-stage trials in Brazil, the Butantan Institute, said on Wednesday the vaccine met the 50% threshold for efficacy set by Brazilian health regulator Anvisa. It pledged to would release more detailed information within two weeks as part of global trials.

Bolsonaro, a right-wing nationalist who is an outspoken critic of China's influence in Brazil, has opposed Sinovac's vaccine for political reasons.

Ana Marcela Rojas Fonseca Hial, 49, a doctor, a volunteer in COVID-19 vaccine trial for AstraZeneca, poses for a photograph in Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 10, 2020. Hial who has one son said: "The hardest thing in the pandemic has been seeing whole families sick and the sense of powerlessness that you can't resolve the situation … This global push to resolve the situation is a very special moment." Picture taken with a slow shutter speed. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli SEARCH "PEROBELLI VACCINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

More broadly, he has sought to curtail lockdown measures and minimized the severity of the virus, actions that critics say have increased its spread and the death toll among Brazil's 210 million people.

Amid the severe economic impact and a faltering political response, some volunteers said the opportunity to participate in the trials gave them a sense of regaining control of their own destiny.

"The hardest thing in the pandemic has been ... the sense of powerlessness that you can’t resolve the situation," said Ana Hial, a doctor who is also part of the AstraZeneca trial. "This global push to resolve the situation is a very special moment."

Morgana de Menezes Maia, 24, a dental surgeon, a volunteer in COVID-19 vaccine trial for AstraZeneca, poses for a photograph in Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 09, 2020. "I have been working with COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the year … I've learned how important it is to stay close to our family and people we love – what a difference that makes, both in your personal and professional life. I think I matured during this year. Facing all this has made me more independent. I've always had (my parents) by my side, but I had to face this all alone, at work and everywhere else. I think it was a year that matured a lot," Menezes Maia said. "The hardest part was to face this period without knowing when it is going to be over, without knowing if the vaccine will really be here next year … The pandemic affected the whole world. Everyone felt the effects of quarantine, isolation, the disease. Many people lost their loved ones, friends. Being able to volunteer is unique. There aren't a lot of us who are part of this moment that will be remembered. Picture taken with a slow shutter speed. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Trial volunteers do not usually know if they are receiving the actual vaccine or a placebo, meaning that even if the vaccines are ultimately successful, they may not have been protected from the disease all this time.

Some shrugged off what they said were mild side effects from the inoculation.

"The first days after I took (the vaccine), I had a few symptoms – shivers and pain in my body," said Antonia Santos, a nurse who participated in the AstraZeneca trial. "My daughter was desperate. She said 'Mom, you are crazy.' I said, 'No, crazy would be not to take it.'"