RIO DE JANEIRO: The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro will halt COVID-19 vaccinations from Wednesday due to a lack of shots, city officials said on Monday

Vaccinations will only begin when a new lot of shots arrives, they said, with delivery not expected until next week.

The halt to vaccinations illustrates the patchy nature of Brazil's vaccine rollout, which has been blighted with delays and a lack of supplies.

"I have received the news that new doses did not arrive," Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes wrote on Twitter. "Today we are vaccinating 84-year-olds and tomorrow 83-year-olds. We are ready and have already vaccinated 244,852 people. We just need the vaccine to arrive ... it should come next week."