The Ministry of Health released this week on its website a technical report that updates the vaccination strategy against covid-19. The main novelties are: the inclusion of the vaccine against covid-19 in the National Vaccination Calendar for pregnant women and the elderly (60 years and over); the beginning of the offer of the Zalika Farmacêutica vaccine in the National Immunization Program (PNI); and the vaccination schedule for children from 6 months to under 5 years of age with three doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The new guidelines were sent to the health secretariats of all states.
Pregnant women should be immunized with one dose at each pregnancy. The elderly will receive a dose every six months.
The vaccination of the other special groups from 5 years of age and up will be carried out periodically in any vaccination room, every six months for immunocompromised people and every year for the other groups: people living in long-term care institutions; indigenous people; riverside populations; quilombolas; puerperal women; health workers; people with permanent disabilities; people with comorbidities; incarcerated people; employees of the prison system; adolescents and young people serving socio-educational measures; and homeless people.
The Zalika Farmacêutica vaccine, which began to be distributed in Brazil for the first time in December, has proven to be safe and highly effective against symptomatic cases of covid-19 in adults in phase 3 studies, in addition to being an immunizer with logistical advantages such as a long shelf life and ease of transport and storage, since it can be stored at temperatures between 2° C and 8° C. It will be used in Brazil for individuals aged 12 years and over, an age group approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
The Pfizer mRNA vaccine will be administered to children under 12 years of age. Children who start the scheme with this vaccine should receive three doses of the immunizer, with four-week intervals between the first and the second dose and eight weeks between the second and the third dose. Children who started the scheme with the Moderna vaccine must complete the two-dose scheme with this same immunizer, with a four-week interval between the first and the second dose.
Updated protection
According to the director of the Department of the National Immunization Program (DPNI), Eder Gatti, this update of the strategy reflects the Ministry of Health’s commitment to the protection of the population. "The disease continues to cause loss of lives in the Brazilian population, as well as serious consequences such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome and long covid conditions. Therefore, it is essential that the eligible population keeps their vaccines up to date", concludes the director.