RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – From Wednesday, December 8, anyone who has not yet begun the vaccination cycle against Covid-19 will be allowed to choose their preferred brand, depending on availability.
The decision was announced last Tuesday, December 7, on the Health Secretariat’s website. According to the portfolio, “the decision comes at a time when the Health Secretariat has more than 1 million doses of AstraZeneca, CoronaVac and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for first, second and booster dose administration.”
Brazil has 75.2% of its population over 12 years of age immunized against Covid.
“Our aim is to vaccinate as many people as possible to achieve a high level of vaccination coverage in Brazil,” says Health Secretary General Manoel Pafiadache.
The Secretary also pointed out that pregnant women, mothers and teenagers from 12 to 17 must be immunized with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the only one approved for these groups in Brazil.
220,000 LACK SECOND DOSE
Despite the progress in the capital’s immunization scheme – with 78% of the vaccinated population protected with the two doses and almost 240,000 with the booster dose – approximately 220,000 people from Brasilia, eligible for the second dose, are yet to visit vaccination posts.
According to the Health Secretariat, the shorter interval between and second doses may explain the delay. A 28-day interval is currently required after the first dose in the case of CoronaVac; and 56 days for AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech. However, some are still waiting for the date stamped on the vaccine card to take the second dose.
It is worth noting the importance of completing the immunization cycle, because the effectiveness promised by vaccine brands has been determined from trials involving both doses. Regarding the booster, the goal is to increase the amount of antibodies circulating in the body.