More than 69 million Brazilians failed to receive the first booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to data from the National Immunization Program (PNI), released by the Ministry of Health this Friday (11).
Regarding the second booster dose, 32.8 million people are behind schedule, according to the ministry, which states that immunizations are available at more than 38,000 vaccination posts in the country.
Experts point out that the introduction of a new subvariant of the coronavirus, BQ.1, more transmissible, may be behind the increase in the number of infections in the country.
While the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) warned of the increase in cases in four states, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, the Brazilian Association of Pharmacy and Drugstore Networks (Abrafarma), pointed to an increase of 38 % in the number of positive tests in retail pharmaceuticals in a week – with 4,850 diagnoses in the period from October 31st to November 6th.
vaccination schedule
The Ministry of Health reinforces the importance of completing this stage of the vaccine cycle, increasing immunity against the disease. Studies show that the strategy of strengthening the vaccination schedule against coronavirus increases protection against serious cases and deaths by Covid-19 by more than five times.
The first booster dose, recommended for people over 12 years of age, should be given four months after the second or single dose. The second booster dose is currently recommended by the Ministry of Health for the population over 40 years of age and health workers regardless of age.
Recommended booster shots are from Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Janssen – these can be used for people 18 years of age and older. For adolescents between 12 and 17 years, the Pfizer vaccine should preferably be used. If it is not available, the Coronavac vaccine can be used as a booster dose.
For those who started the vaccination schedule with a single dose of Janssen, the recommendation is as follows: three boosters for people aged 40 and over and two boosters for people aged 18 to 39 years. The first booster is applied two months after the start of the cycle and the others must follow the four-month interval. The orientation is that AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Janssen vaccines are also used for booster doses.
According to the ministry, the guidelines are based on studies that demonstrate that the ability to induce the immune response after the application of heterologous booster doses, with a different combination of vaccines against Covid-19, was adequate and superior to regimens without doses of vaccine. reinforcement.
fifth dose
To try to stop the spread of the disease, at least six states and the Federal District began to apply the fifth dose of vaccines against the coronavirus.
According to the survey of CNN updated this Friday (11), Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Rio Grande do Norte, Amazonas, São Paulo, Alagoas and the DF provide the additional dose of the immunizer against Covid-19.
In all states, the fifth dose is currently offered to the immunosuppressed population. Only the DF makes the additional dose available to the population over 40 years of age, regardless of health condition.
Source: CNN Brasil
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