The city hall of Rio de Janeiro is evaluating the possibility of applying another booster dose to the elderly, the fourth against Covid-19. According to the municipal secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz, the interval time between applications is still under study.
“It may be that an additional dose is needed in the elderly after six months, a year […] the interval is still being studied by the municipal health department and by some research institutes”, he said.
After the increase in cases caused by the Ômicron variant, the number of people looking for a booster dose rose in the city. Soranz estimates that nearly half of the able-bodied population has already taken the booster. Even so, 500,000 cariocas still have their third application in arrears.
After reaching a positivity rate of 43%, Rio de Janeiro has 23 cases of Covid-19 for every 100 people currently tested. In addition, attendances for flu syndrome in the municipal public network fell by more than 30%, according to the secretary.
“It is clear that vaccine protection after the third dose is much higher than for the second dose. It manages to potentiate the immunogenicity process”, explained Soranz. According to him, “vaccines protect and this protection drops over the time of the second dose in four months. In the booster dose, this protection is still maintained after four months.”
Street carnival
Despite the improvement in the epidemiological scenario, health standards continue to apply. “Right now, we saw a drop in cases in the Ômicron variant and the rules are in place: in closed spaces, use a mask, in open spaces with agglomeration, give preference to the use of a mask, but, mainly, the vaccine passport”, said Soranz.
According to the secretary, there is great concern at the moment with people who have not yet received any dose of immunizations, due to the increased risk of illness by Covid-19.
Regarding the street Carnival, the secretary said that the realization remains unfeasible due to lack of health security, even with the postponement to April.
“Carnival is a street is ruled out. It is not possible to have a street carnival without planning, without organization and without guaranteeing that the people in that environment are vaccinated. Those who are not vaccinated are at great risk of getting worse and being hospitalized,” said Soranz.
Guidelines from the Ministry of Health in the face of a positive diagnosis of Covid-19
Source: CNN Brasil
