New flu vaccine only arrives in March 2022

Vaccines against the influenza A H3N2 virus that will include the new Darwin strain, responsible for the flu epidemic in São Paulo and other states in the country, should only arrive in Brazil in early 2022.

According to Geraldo Barbosa, president of ABCVac (Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics), it is very unlikely that the immunizing agent will be imported before then because, at the moment, the world’s factories are producing the strains for the northern hemisphere.

Updating the vaccine, a procedure done twice a year under the guidance of the WHO (World Health Organization, is necessary because the current version does not include the Darwin variant. The immunizing agent available so far, therefore, does not guarantee protection against this specific strain.

Despite this, the city of São Paulo, in the midst of the epidemic, is experiencing a race to private immunization clinics, with non-vaccinated people looking for doses. Taking a vaccine now, however, experts point out, is an aid against other variants and can avoid an overload on the health system, but it should not be thought exactly as a barrier to Darwin.

“Our strains, which are different, will only enter production from now on. Until it arrives in Brazil, it will be authorized by Anvisa [Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária], it is a process that takes time. We are trying to anticipate a little, but, due to the production capacity, it is very difficult.”

The SUS and the private network must receive immunizations already with the Darwin strain. It will be included in both trivalent influenza vaccines (distributed in the public network) and tetravalent (available in private clinics).

The Butantan Institute, which supplies all the immunizations against influenza purchased by the Ministry of Health, began producing the vaccine in September and promises delivery in March, as in previous years. According to the institute, the federal government is in charge of a possible anticipation of the vaccination campaign. In 2021, for example, it started in April.

As the product contains three strains, the Butantan factory, in São Paulo, prepares the immunizing agent against each one of them in separate periods. At breaks, the environment needs to be cleaned up before moving on to the next variant. The composition that will include the new Darwin strain, for example, will be produced from January.

The institute offered, 15 days ago, 3 million doses left over from this year’s campaign to the Ministry of Health, but has not yet received a response. The information was given by G1 and confirmed by leaf.

For Barbosa, from ABCVac, the unexpected influenza A outbreaks in São Paulo and other states are related to low vaccination coverage and tourism.

“A tourist from the Northern Hemisphere contaminated with this new strain may have brought it. Hence the increase in cases in tourist cities like Rio, Salvador, São Paulo.”

According to him, the great struggle has been to make people aware that vaccination coverage is preventive, there is no immediate response. “The vaccine doesn’t arrive quickly, it doesn’t have for everyone at the same time.”

The flu vaccine coverage among priority groups this year in the state of São Paulo was 55.5%. “Now, there are preventive measures, such as the use of masks, hand hygiene and avoiding agglomerations. Influenza has a lot to do with contact and now, with the holiday season, we fear that the situation will lose control. “

In addition to the increased demand for emergency care at public and private hospitals, the scheduling of appointments with infectologists and pulmonologists, specialties directly linked to respiratory symptoms, also grew.

On the Doctoralia platform, there was an 8% growth (from 854 to 925) in the search for these specialists in the first half of December compared to the first half of November.

This end of the year, many professionals close their vacation schedule. On the platform, there is a search filter where you can find who is available.