The emergence of the Ômicron variant of the coronavirus and the records of the first cases on Brazilian soil have driven the debate on the requirement of a vaccine passport in the national territory. For the pulmonologist and researcher at Fiocruz, Margareth Dalcolmo, the mandatory vaccination against Covid-19 is “very recommendable as a public health measure, regardless of the virus variants”.
“We need to require a vaccination passport for re-entry into normal life. Being vaccinated is not just a personal protection, the community feels protected”, said the expert in an interview with CNN New Day.
The researcher said she agrees with the guidelines given by the United States adviser on health issues, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Dalcolmo argues that the solution to confront the Ômicron variant is “vaccinate, vaccinate and vaccinate”. “We need to ensure maximum protection, booster doses for all people and ages. And we have to sequence a lot, because only with genomic surveillance will we be able to see what the trend is: where the variant is spreading, and who is it infecting”, he added.
She adds that Brazil, despite the delays, managed to reach an adequate rate of vaccination. “We have between 64% and 65% of our population perfectly immunized [contra a Covid-19]. I would love to reach 80% of the population immunized by the end of the year. This would give us some relief to face new waves and variants, which may arise because the virus still circulates a lot in various parts of the world”, he pointed out.
One positive news that the Fiocruz researcher highlighted was that Brazil is moving towards autonomy in the production of vaccines. Dalcolmo explained that the Rio de Janeiro institute was authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to “progress in the process of manufacturing messenger RNA vaccines”, such as the immunization agents against Covid-19 by Pfizer and Moderna.
“Another issue is the production of drugs, which are tested at this time for true early treatment [da Covid]. Without a doubt, Brazil will be able to participate in the studies, and propose itself to be a country capable of participating in the manufacture of these medicines”, he concluded.
Reference: CNN Brasil
