RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The State of São Paulo will start a new vaccination campaign against Covid-19 on January 17 next year.
“This new phase for immunization against Covid-19 will start on January 17, which was the day that we vaccinated Monica Calazans, the first Brazilian, here in São Paulo, ” said Jean Gorinchteyn, State Health Secretary, citing the name of the nurse who received the first application of a Covid vaccine in Brazil in January of this year.
He also predicted that the speed of vaccination against coronavirus next year will be higher than this year’s campaign, stating that the Butantan Institute will, in 2022, have 100% domestic production of two vaccines: CoronaVac, from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac, and home-grown Butanvac, which is currently being tested.
No detailed reasons were given as to why this measure is considered necessary.
“This is not reinforcement, this is a necessity that we have to be always annually making a protection,” Gorinchteyn added at a press conference at the Butantan headquarters, where a new batch of 1 million doses of CoronaVac was delivered to the Ministry of Health’s National Immunization Program (PNI).
With Monday’s delivery, Butantan reaches 56 million doses of the immunizer delivered to the PNI and keeps its promise to total 100 million doses delivered by the end of August.
Gorinchteyn said he hopes that the Ministry of Health will have the same understanding of the São Paulo government to start a new vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in 2022 while emphasizing that it will be held in the State of São Paulo. “The State of São Paulo will surely start a new vaccination phase for Covid starting January 17 next year,” he assured.