A day after announcing that the childhood vaccination campaign would start in the second half of January, the city of Rio de Janeiro announced this Thursday (6) the beginning of the immunization calendar for children aged 5 to 11 years. The campaign starts on the 17th (Monday), with the immunization of 11-year-old girls – see full calendar below.
The next day, it will be the turn of boys of the same age and, on Wednesday (19), the recap for those who do not show up on either day. The campaign will continue, as in the other phases, using a decreasing criterion, with three days for each age. The immunizing agent used will be that of Pfizer, the only one authorized by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) for this audience.
See the calendar:
The municipal secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz, highlighted the fact that the city was the first capital to publish a calendar of this type in the country. “We are always the first. Have you ever seen us be seconds on anything?” he joked.
The immunizing agent used for children will be different from those produced by adults. The product underwent adjustments in the formula and has different packaging and labels. It will not be necessary to present a prescription to guarantee the application of the vaccine, a possibility that was even suggested by the Ministry of Health.
Children will need to receive two doses of the immunizing agent. The ministry’s recommendation is that this happen with an interval of eight weeks. On Monday (3), minister Marcelo Queiroga said that the vaccines will arrive in the country in the second half of January, in a batch of around four million doses. The immunization of this age group has not yet started in the national territory.
On Wednesday (5), in an interview with CNN, Mayor Eduardo Paes (PSD) said that the city is ready to immunize more than 500 thousand children.
Reference: CNN Brasil
