Health signs contract for the acquisition of 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines

The Ministry of Health signed, this Friday (30), an agreement with Pfizer for the purchase of another 50 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The agreement provides for the delivery of bivalent vaccines, which offer immunization against more than one strain of the coronavirus, for people over 12 years old. Monovalent vaccines will also be purchased for children aged 6 months to 11 years.

The folder already had a contract in force with the company for the acquisition of 100 million doses of vaccine against Covid-19. With the acquisition, the total number of doses will reach 150 million.

The current contract also includes the delivery of potential vaccines adapted to the new variants that may be approved by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency).

In November this year, the regulatory agency approved the emergency use of two bivalent vaccines against Covid-19 produced by Pfizer.

The first version presented by the manufacturer was designed with the original strain of Sars-CoV-2 and omicron BA.1, which quickly spread throughout the world. There was also the approval of a new version of the vaccine that has the original strain of the virus and has subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

For the age group from 6 months to 4 years old, two deliveries are planned in 2023. The first, with 16 million doses, in the first quarter. The second, with 6.68 million doses, in the second quarter.

For the public from 5 to 11 years old, two deliveries are also planned. The first, with 11 million doses, until the first quarter. The second, with 6.57 million, in the second quarter.

As for the adult public, a delivery of 9.7 million doses of the bivalent vaccine BA.4/BA.5 is expected until June.

The folder reported that during this year, 81 million doses were delivered to Brazil, and the remaining 69 million doses of the agreement will be delivered by the second quarter of 2023.