The data on vaccination in Brazil is rather incomplete in the Information System for Epidemiological Surveillance of Influenza (Sivep-Gripe). The system contains the necessary variables for monitoring the pandemic in several aspects, such as the socio-demographic trends of cases and deaths, and the effectiveness of vaccination. However, these variables have not been properly filled out by the Healthcare teams, both in the public and private networks. Overloaded by the pandemic and with little training and equipment, these teams face many difficulties in properly recording information.

This was the conclusion reached by researchers from the Institute of Communication and Scientific Information in Health (Icict/Fiocruz), after reviewing the notification records of cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), lab-diagnosed with Covid-19, within the Sivep-Gripe database. There is a large number of records about patients who have taken the first and second vaccination shots that have not been filled in or bear only the word "ignored," according to the recently published Technical Note No. 20 of the MonitoraCovid-19 system, entitled Quality of vaccination data in healthcare facilities for Covid-19.

The data analyzed in the paper was the new variables entered into Sivep-Gripe after the introduction of vaccination, which was filled in at the time of hospital admission. In these new variables, public and private healthcare facilities report whether the SARS patient has been vaccinated, the date of the first and second shots, and the batch numbers of both vaccines.

Despite the importance of filling in this information, the vast majority of records are incomplete, empty, or in error. In states like Amapá and Mato Grosso do Sul, for example, it was reported to Sivep-Gripe that more than 90% of the hospitalized patients were vaccinated. However, only 6% (AP) and 21% (MS) of the records provide the date of the first shot - in most cases, the field was filled in with the word "ignored". Similar situations occur in the entries of the vast majority of states, in different proportions.

Need for investment

"Analysis on the effectiveness of vaccination is extremely necessary. We have no doubts about the importance of immunization when it comes to controlling the pandemic. What this paper alerts us to is the fragility of the data that is essential to support scientific evidence of this effectiveness. We need an improvement in the quality of the data," points out Diego Xavier, a Public Health specialist at Fiocruz and one of the people responsible for the Icict survey.

Source: Information from the Fiocruz News Agency (AFN).