RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Pfizer said it will deliver to Brazil 20 million doses of its vaccine developed against Covid-19 for children by March. However, the quantity is not enough to begin immunization with the second dose.
EXPECTED PFIZER VACCINE DELIVERY
January: 4.310 million doses
February: 7.270 million doses
March: 8.420 million doses
Currently, Brazil has 20.5 million children aged between 5 and 11. The largest group is made up of 7-year-olds, reaching 3 million people.
BRAZIL’S CHILD POPULATION
11 years old: 2.9 million
10 years old: 2.91 million
9 years old: 2.9 million
8 years old: 2.94 million
7 years old: 3 million
6 years old: 2.94 million
5 years old: 2.95 million
In January, the 11-year-olds and half of the 10-year-olds would be immunized, representing only 20% of the total. In February, the remainder of the second group, as well as 9 and 8 year-olds, would be immunized.
In March, there would be a dilemma: the 11-year-olds would return to receive the second dose, after the 60 days recommended by the manufacturer.
This means that only 7-year-olds and part of the 6-year-old public would be able to get the first dose. The 5-year-olds would only be vaccinated in April. It will only be possible to vaccinate all children in the first quarter if the second dose is delayed.
According to experts, the solution lies in approving Coronavac. The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) is discussing the use of the immunizer produced by the Butantan Institute in partnership with the Sinovac laboratory for children and adolescents aged 3 to 17.
“Coronavac is a vaccine from an already known platform, with very little reactogenicity. There are no reports in the world of grade 3 adverse events. Studies will be published that can show impressive results in its performance in pediatric ages, comparable to the results of Pfizer’s vaccine for the same age groups,” said National Council of Health Secretariats (CONASS) vice-president and Secretary of Health of the state of Espírito Santo Nésio Fernandes.