Brazil starts flu vaccination in the worst phase of Covid

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil started this Monday the annual flu vaccination campaign to curb influenza-related complications in the Brazilian population and help avoid the current overload of the health system running at covid-related maximum capacity in most of the country.

With more than 210 million inhabitants, the South American giant is currently experiencing the worst phase of the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 350,000 deaths and 13.4 million confirmed cases of the virus.

The new wave of covid-19 in the country has led to the occupancy rate of the public health system’s intensive care units being above 90% in 17 of the 27 Brazilian states.

“Despite not having the same impact, influenza can lead to severe respiratory syndromes, and these people also need our health system, which is already under pressure from covid,” said the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga during the launch of the campaign.

According to the minister, the idea is to immunize nine out of every 10 people in the priority groups against influenza in a target public of 80 million Brazilians.

The campaign will be carried out in three stages. In the first stage, children between six months and six years of age, pregnant women, indigenous peoples, and health workers will be immunized, and in the second stage, people over 60 years of age and teachers will be immunized.

Read: Covid-19 and the flu – 6 answers about the simultaneous vaccination about to start in Brazil

The third group will include people with comorbidities, permanent disabilities, road transport, port workers, Armed Forces members, and prison system employees.

The coverage of the flu vaccination campaign carried out in 2020 had good coverage, and only children between six months and six years of age were left out.