The Ministry of Health expanded, this Monday (20), the recommendation for the second booster dose against Covid-19 for people aged 40 and over, who started the vaccination schedule with Coronavac, Pfizer or AstraZeneca. Those who started the vaccination schedule with a single dose of Janssen should also complement protection.
In an interview with CNN this Tuesday (21), the pediatrician Isabella Ballalai, vice president of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm), warned that vaccine coverage against the disease is still below ideal.
According to the ministry, more than 22 million people received only the first dose and have an incomplete vaccination cycle. In relation to the first booster dose, more than 62 million Brazilians able to receive the vaccine did not return to health centers.
“What makes people seek vaccination is the perception of risk . Today, in the scenario that we have to [entendimento] that Covid is over, you don’t need to wear masks, it’s difficult for people to understand and have a movement to leave the house to get a vaccine. The impact is dropout or poor adherence to vaccination,” she said.
According to the expert, the definition of the inclusion of a new dose in the vaccination schedule aims to recover the ideal level of protection against the disease.
“When we add an extra dose it means that over time these people lose their ideal protection. They don’t lose 100%, but they lose protection. As a result, especially today with this new variant, the vaccine protects against it but not as much as it did against the original SARS-CoV-2”, he explains.
The doctor highlighted the importance of vaccination against the disease for children aged 5 to 11 years. “Unfortunately, the population’s confidence was destroyed in relation to this vaccination and we have very low coverage”, she said.
Isabella believes that, with the approval of immunizations for children under five years of age in countries such as the United States, the tendency is for the public of the vaccination campaign to be gradually expanded.
“With the good news that Pfizer and Moderna were authorized after 6 months, these manufacturers are expected to submit this request to Anvisa, which has not yet happened, as far as I know,” he said.
Basic care helps prevent Covid-19
Source: CNN Brasil
