The president of the Brazilian Medical Association, César Eduardo Fernandes, said in an interview with CNN, on Tuesday (4), that children who are immunized against Covid-19 are less likely to contract the disease with seriousness, considering data from the United States, a country that already vaccinates the public aged 5 to 11 years against Covid- 19.
“The immunity conferred by the disease itself is a much lower immunity than the immunity conferred by the vaccine. A vaccinated child is 6 times less likely to have a serious illness and to die than a child who had natural immunity”, says the doctor.
This Wednesday (5), the Ministry of Health holds a public hearing on the application of vaccines in children aged 5 to 11 years. The immunization of this public was approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), with doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with a lower dose compared to that applied to adults.
For the president of the Brazilian Medical Association, holding a public hearing to decide on vaccination in minors is “absolutely unnecessary”.
“Anvisa is a most credible agency, with exemption, and Anvisa approved as well as the FDA [agência dos EUA]. Vaccines are not experimental, they are safe and effective at the indicated doses, which are lower than in adults. A public hearing would be unnecessary, because it has already gone through the regulatory agency, it would be absolutely unnecessary”, said the doctor.
The doctor highlighted the effectiveness of the vaccines and stated that they should be applied to children “as soon as possible”. For the respondent, school holidays would be the ideal period for immunization, so that children return to schools with protection against the virus.
“All children – whether they have had the disease or not – are good candidates for vaccination and we will be able to reduce the possibility of transmitting the virus. The vaccine in children is necessary and must be done as soon as possible”, he said.
*Produced by Yuri Pitta
Reference: CNN Brasil
