Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), in response to the city of São Paulo, asks the city to reassess the reduction in the interval between the second dose and the booster dose of vaccines against Covid.
On Thursday (2), the city of São Paulo had sent a letter to Anvisa in which it requested the anticipation of the booster dose. On the same day, the state government of São Paulo announced the reduction from five to four months in the interval for the booster dose. Following the new measure, the city of São Paulo began this Friday (3) the application of booster doses to people over 18 years of age who took the second dose at least four months ago.
After the announcement of the João Doria government (PSDB), members of the Ministry of Health had already informed that the folder did not intend to recommend reducing the interval for booster doses, as there are no proven benefits.
Anvisa claims not to have received or evaluated data that “support the safe and widespread use of booster doses within 4 (four) months for all authorized vaccines in use in Brazil.”
Along the same lines, experts claim that there is no data to support the decision of the government of São Paulo, taken amid the records of the first cases of the omicron variant, potentially more transmissible and with a higher risk of reinfection, compared to previously identified strains.
The first cases of the new variant in Brazil were even registered in São Paulo, in people from South Africa, the country where the strain was discovered.
According to the agency, so far it is not known “whether the benefits outweigh the risks for using a booster within a four-month interval.”
In addition, Anvisa, in a statement, also points out the prerogative of the National Immunization Program of the Ministry of Health as a guide for vaccination campaigns in the country and that asymmetries in access to immunization should be avoided.
The agency also claims to have recommended to the Ministry of Health a new program for monitoring and pharmacovigilance of vaccines used in regimens that are not included in the package inserts.
Only the Pfizer vaccine has in its package insert, after approval by Anvisa, a booster dose. Approval is for homologous vaccination (application in people who have already received the two initial doses of the pharmaceutical company’s immunizing agent).
The review of inclusion of booster doses in AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccine package inserts is ongoing. The Butantan Institute did not request analysis on the application of a booster dose of Coronavac.
In addition, the board of directors of Anvisa approved the guidance that the booster dose of Covid vaccination is preferably applied with the same model used in the basic cycle in the cases of Pfizer, Janssen and AstraZeneca.
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