RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga on July 27 announced that adolescents aged 12 to 17 will be included in the National Immunization Plan against Covid-19.
The inclusion will begin after the first dose is sent for the vaccination of adults over 18. Adolescents with comorbidities will be the first to be immunized.
The measure was agreed during a meeting between the ministry and state and municipal representatives.
It was also defined that after distributing the first dose to the whole adult population, the ministry will decide whether or not to anticipate the interval between the two Pfizer doses, which is currently 90 days. The interval should be 21 days, according to the manufacturer’s package insert.
Advancing the second dose is being considered to accelerate immunization, given the surge in cases of people infected with the Delta Covid-19 variant.
“We expect to vaccinate the population aged 18 and over by early September. After that, we will discuss reducing the Pfizer dose interval, so we can advance with the second dose in a larger number of people and also those under 18,” the minister explained.
States and municipalities should still follow the Ministry of Health’s guidelines on vaccine dose intervals and other National Immunization Plan recommendations.
Source: Agência Brasil