RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The governor of São Paulo, João Doria, announced this Sunday, July 11, the date of August 20, to complete immunization of adults in the state, bringing forward the previous deadline, which had been September 15. He also announced the start of vaccination of adolescents between 12 to 17 years old, as from August 23.
“The end of the first dose of adults in the State of São Paulo was advanced by 26 days,” Doria said in a press conference. “In 40 days, all adults in São Paulo will have at least one vaccine in their arms,” he said.
The advance was possible, according to the governor, by the acquisition of extra doses of Coronavac. According to Doria, 2.6 million doses have already arrived, and the remaining 1.4 million doses will be received soon.
The immunization of adolescents, meanwhile, will run from August 23 to September 30. “[Teenagers] pregnant women and adolescents with disabilities or comorbidities will be vaccinated by September 5,” the governor said. From then until September 19, the remaining adolescents aged 15 to 17 will be vaccinated. After that, those aged 12 to 14 will be immunized.
The governor also said that “it is not easy to bring vaccination forward in a country dominated by denialism.”
“We are in a moment of turning the tables against the [Covid-19] pandemic, started with Coronavac here in São Paulo. I urge Brazilians not to choose their vaccine. We will only have collective immunity when all Brazilians have the opportunity to receive the vaccine,” said Wanderson Oliveira, secretary of Integrated Health Service.
This second phase of Covid-19 vaccination will protect “many more young people, who are the ones circulating and transmitting the virus,” said Jean Gorinchteyn, state health secretary. “It is the vaccine that saves and will guarantee hope in the state of São Paulo.”
The Health Secretary said that the biggest concern was with the elderly, people with chronic diseases in the first phase. “We had a reduction in the number of vaccinations and the number of deaths after the vaccine,” said Gorinchteyn.
For São Paulo’s Secretary of Education, Rossieli Soares da Silva, the announcement of vaccination for teenagers is “a step towards hope and back to school, especially for young people who need this protection.” “There are many comorbidities from 12 to 17 years old in Brazil. This is a step of hope, of life, in education for life,” he said.