The state of São Paulo needs 75% of the population to have the complete vaccination schedule so that the use of masks can be made more flexible, according to the executive coordinator of the Continence Center against the Covid-19, John Gabbardo.
In an interview with CNN, he stated that the “worst is over” in relation to the pandemic. However, the large number of unvaccinated people is worrying and, therefore, he believes that restrictive measures may come to this public in the future.
“What we see in the world is the reduction of restrictions for people who are already vaccinated. The trend, from now on, is for restrictions to be imposed on people who, unfortunately, have not yet been vaccinated”, he said.
“In Sao Paulo [capital], we have more than 92% of the 18-year-old population vaccinated, that is, we still have another 8% to complete the vaccination schedule. These people still worry us, because hospitalizations, serious cases and deaths, in their vast majority, occur in those who have not completed the vaccination”, he added.
For him, the problem is now behavioral, as there is no longer any difficulty in accessing immunizing agents. “They are available to everyone. It’s very much a behavioral problem. We have, for example, a percentage of people who have delayed vaccines and many teenagers who could have already had the second dose and still haven’t.”
Despite the concern with the unvaccinated, Gabbardo stated that Brazil should not have a “setback” in terms of already consolidated flexibilities – unlike what happens in Europe, which, amidst the increase in cases, announced tougher measures for those who have not yet been immunized against Covid-19.
“We have to continue with these flexibilities being made gradually and slowly, but safely, so that we don’t need to set back.”
Use of masks
João Gabbardo stated that São Paulo still needs to reach the indicators established last month to plan the flexibility of the use of masks in open environments.
“We still need to reduce the number of deaths a little more. The hospitalization rate is close to what we established, but we still hope to have 75% of the entire population in the state fully immunized. Today, this index is above 72%”, said the coordinator.
“We need to complete 75% of the vaccination schedule so that the use of masks in an open and uncrowded environment can be allowed.”
Reference: CNN Brasil
