Anti-Bolsonaro protests held across Brazil as country's COVID-19 death toll nears 500,000

Thousands took to the streets across Brazil on Saturday to protest against President Jair Bolsonaro’s pandemic response, blasting the leader for not acquiring vaccines fast enough and for questioning the need for mask-wearing.

Brazil is expected to surpass 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 when official figures are released later on Saturday, the world’s highest death toll after the United States.

The government faces fierce criticism for passing up earlier opportunities to buy vaccines. Pharmaceutical maker Pfizer said it got no response to early offers to sell vaccines to the government between August and November last year.

“We are protesting against the