The Ministry of Health now recommends an annual or semi-annual dose of the vaccine for priority groups aged five and over.
The Ministry of Health announced a change in the vaccination schedule against Covid, this Monday, the 1st, aiming to further protect children. Now, the vaccine against the disease will be included in the National Vaccination Calendar for children aged six months to four years and 11 months.
Furthermore, the Ministry started to recommend an annual or semi-annual dose of the vaccine for priority groups aged five and over, who are at greater risk of developing severe forms of the disease. Previously, these groups did not receive periodic doses.
This measure comes after ten Brazilian capitals registered an increase in Covid cases in their territories. The affected cities are Aracaju, Campo Grande, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, João Pessoa, Maceió, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Teresina and Vitória.
From 2024 onwards, vaccination will also be carried out for people over five years of age – even those who do not belong to the priority groups – who have not yet been vaccinated previously or have only received one dose.
These people will be able to start or complete the primary vaccination schedule, which consists of two doses with a minimum interval of four weeks between them.
In the case of children, the recommendation is to apply the first dose at six months of age, the second dose at seven months and the third dose at nine months. All children between six months and five years, who have not yet been vaccinated or are late, will be able to complete the three-dose schedule, following the recommended interval of four weeks between the first and second, and eight weeks between the second and the third.]
It is important to note that children who have already received three doses of Covid-19 vaccines do not need to receive additional doses at this time.
In October last year, the non-governmental organization Oxfam Brasil released a technical note warning of the country’s lack of self-sufficiency in vaccine production.
According to the document entitled “Vaccine Production Capacity in Brazil”, Brazil imports around 90% of the raw materials needed to manufacture vaccines and medicines, in addition to 50% of medical equipment.