Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received his first dose of a coronavirus vaccine developed by China on Saturday. He called on citizens to "avoid gatherings" in the face of the raging pandemic.

He said in a video broadcast on social media that he "would be much happier if there were vaccines for everyone."

Brazil now remains the second hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has recorded a total of 277,102 deaths and 11,439,558 cases.