The Ministry of Health began, this Thursday, 9/5, the first deliveries of the updated covid-19 vaccine. Initially, the states of Paraná, Goiás, Maranhão and Mato Grosso were included. 136,800 doses were allocated to Paraná, Maranhão received 90,400 doses, Goiás 86,400 and Mato Grosso 47,200 doses. Today, the vaccines are scheduled to arrive in Amapá, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Piauí, Rondônia and Santa Catarina. The other units of the federation will receive their installments over the next few weeks.
The first batches of the 12.5 million doses acquired by the Ministry of Health arrived in Brazil last Thursday (2). The vaccines were released for distribution after analysis by the National Institute for Health Quality Control (INCQS). The vaccine was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
Since January 1, 2024, vaccination against Covid-19 for people in the priority group and children aged six months to under five years of age has been included in the National Vaccination Calendar. The folder also started to recommend an annual or semi-annual dose for priority groups aged five years or older and at greater risk of developing severe forms of the disease, regardless of the number of previous doses received.
Nursing and vaccination – Nurses, technicians and nursing assistants are the main agents of vaccination in Brazil, working from health surveillance and management to the application of vaccines. The country has 35 thousand vaccination rooms coordinated by nurses and the most comprehensive calendar of free vaccines among countries with more than 100 thousand inhabitants.
A civilizational and scientific achievement, vaccination made it possible to control and eradicate countless diseases. Its positive impact on health is compared by the World Health Organization to that of access to drinking water. Brazil’s PNI is one of the largest in the world, offering 45 different immunobiologicals for the entire population. Vaccination was essential for controlling the Covid-19 pandemic, and the complete vaccination schedule is effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19, in addition to complications from the disease.
Check the vaccination calendar of the National Immunization Program
Source: Ascom/Cofen, with information from the Ministry of Health
