Brazilian Ministry of Health recommends booster dose against Covid from the age of 5

The Brazilian Ministry of Health recommended this Wednesday (4) the application of a booster dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 for children aged between 5 and 11 years. 

According to the folder, the guidance considers scientific studies that point to increased protection with the complementary dose. 

The technical note released by the ministry defines that the interval between the second dose and the booster dose must be at least 4 months.

According to the publication, complementary immunization, in the case of children who took the first and second dose of Pfizer or CoronaVac, should be done with Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine. 

“For the analysis of the booster dose recommendation for this public, among other criteria, an increase in antibody levels was observed after the application of the complementary dose. In the clinical study, the evaluated children showed a sixfold increase in the number of antibodies after the booster dose,” informed the ministry.

The document also points out that Pfizer’s vaccine booster was also effective against the Omicron variant, with a 36-fold increase in antibody production in the 5 to 11 age group. 

“These results show the importance of completing the vaccination cycle against Covid-19, to ensure that immunizers reach full effectiveness and protect against serious cases and deaths from the disease, strengthened the folder.

The Ministry of Health also recommends the simultaneous administration of vaccines against Covid-19 with other vaccines in the children’s vaccination schedule. 

With information from Agência Brasil/Gazeta do Povo