Health plans broad vaccination campaign for February, says Nísia Trindade

The Ministry of Health plans to carry out a broad vaccination campaign for the month of February, with the aim of resuming the high rates of vaccination coverage in the country.

The information was announced by the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, on Tuesday (10). In a press interview, Nísia listed the ministry’s priority actions for the first hundred days of management.

“We are recovering the full list of scientific societies and all those who are laying the groundwork for immunization at this time. The technical advisory chamber is currently meeting so that we can, in February, start this campaign more effectively”, said Nísia.

The immunization campaign will also include vaccination against Covid-19. On Friday (6), the Ministry of Health signed an addendum for the purchase of 750,000 doses of Coronavac, to expand the immunization of children. According to the folder, the lot should be delivered in the next few days and a new additive should be signed, totaling the acquisition of 2.6 million doses from the laboratory.

“We have already acquired vaccines from the Butantan Institute against Covid-19 for pediatric use, we are also working with Pfizer with the same objective, ensuring that there is a vaccine”, he said.

The minister also spoke about planning immunization against Covid-19 within the vaccination schedule. “The Covid vaccine will be on the regular schedule of the National Immunization Program, but we have the great task of recovering the high vaccination coverage in Brazil. For this reason, the focus on childhood vaccines is also very important, so we are also talking about the recovery of high vaccine coverage, ”she stressed.

The minister also reinforced the importance of resuming good relations with states and municipalities for the progress of these actions. “We are going to debate with the National Council of State Health Secretaries and municipal health secretaries on January 26 for the joint definition of this plan. It is important to remember that the Ministry of Health works in an interfederative logic, ”she said.

Check out some priority guidelines cited by the minister for the first hundred days of government:

• Elaboration of an emergency plan to reduce queues for diagnoses and elective surgeries;
• Transparency of the Technical Advisory Chamber for Immunizations (CTAI) and recovery of the conversation with the scientific society
• Vaccination campaign to recover vaccination coverage;
• Inclusion of the Covid-19 vaccine in the National Vaccination Calendar;
• Resumption of the Popular Pharmacy Program and expansion of the supply of medicines;
• Strengthening the health of the black and indigenous population;
• Emergency actions for the Yanomami population;
• Follow-up and expansion of the Mais Médicos program, prioritizing Brazilian doctors and later foreign doctors;
• Strengthening the diagnosis of cervical cancer.