Brazil receives 7.7 million doses from Pfizer to vaccinate children against Covid

About 7.7 million doses of Pfizer’s pediatric vaccines against Covid arrive in Brazil this Friday (20) and this Saturday (21), the Ministry of Health reported. Immunizers are intended for children aged 6 months to 11 years old.

The country has been facing problems in supplying vaccines for children, and the new batch is part of a shipment of 50 million doses that the Ministry of Health is negotiating with Pfizer and is trying to anticipate delivery.

Pfizer’s 7.7 million pediatric doses are split between two tiers: 4.5 million doses go to children aged 6 months to 4 years; and 3.2 million doses will vaccinate the public from 5 to 11 years old.

Part of the doses have already arrived in Brazil, but before being distributed to the states, vaccines need to undergo analysis by the National Institute for Quality Control in Health (INCQS), as with any immunizer.

The Ministry of Health had already distributed 740 thousand doses of Coronavac. Another additive for the purchase of another 2.6 million doses of Coronavac was also signed with the Butantan Institute.

According to data collected by the press vehicle consortium, approximately 60% of children aged 3 to 11 years old able to receive the vaccine took the first dose of the immunizer against Covid-and 41% have two doses. In addition to the two applications, the Ministry of Health began to recommend, for children aged 5 to 11 years, a booster with Pfizer’s immunizer.

Ethel Maciel, Secretary of Health and Environment Surveillance, said at the beginning of the month that the shortage of vaccines is a legacy of the Jair Bolsonaro government and guaranteed that the issue would be resolved by the end of January. “We received the ministry with a shortage of childhood vaccines.”

The secretary also said that vaccines for adults are not in short supply, but it is not yet certain that there will be an indication of another booster dose for all ages. Such as Sheet he said, what has already been defined is that the vaccine for the risk group will enter the annual calendar.