Healthcare

New phase of the ‘Vaccina Sim’ campaign encourages the immunization of children

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The consortium of press vehicles —formed by leaf, UOL, O Estado de S. Paulo, O Globo, G1, TV Globo, GloboNews and Extra — launched this Sunday (23) the fifth phase of the “Vaccina Sim” campaign.

The objective of this stage is to encourage the immunization of children aged between 5 and 11, the age group that began to be vaccinated in Brazil on the 14th, when the indigenous boy Davi Seremramiwe Xavante, 8, was the first to receive a dose of the drug.

In the current phase of the campaign, a specialist was invited to solve the doubts of the little ones: uncle Drauzio, also known as dr. Drauzio Varella, physician and columnist at leaf.

In the videos that will be aired, about 20 children ask if the vaccine hurts, if it itch, if they can have a fever or, then, how it acts on the body – doubts similar to those of adults.

Was the conversation different because of the target audience? “I think that there is no language for children. I try to respond as I am used to speaking, but trying to adapt with a simpler, easier language”, says Drauzio.

Recently, the leaf talked to children about the anxiety of immunizing against Covid. Some spoke about the desire to see and hug friends and relatives who are in risk groups, as well as going to the movies or traveling.

In addition to anonymous children, some child actors also asked Uncle Drauzio questions. This is the case of Gabriel Miller, the Mig from the sitcom “Bugados”, by Gloob, Globo’s children’s channel. He says he is happy to participate in the campaign and thus inspire others to protect themselves against Covid.

“It’s a very serious mission and everyone needs to collaborate and do their part so that we can go back to school, see our friends, play and hug each other a lot. Our time has come and, as the Mig from ‘Bugados’ would say, ‘today is the best day of my life!'”

Child immunization, however, has been attacked by the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), which, without evidence, casts doubts on the safety of vaccines.

The president said his 11-year-old daughter will not be vaccinated against Covid.

Initially, the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, said that his portfolio would recommend vaccination as long as there was a requirement for a medical prescription, which was rejected in a public consultation.

In a recent Datafolha survey, 79% of Brazilians aged 16 and over said they were in favor of immunizing children aged 5 to 11 years. Another 17% said they were against it, and 4% said they did not know how to give an opinion.

The little ones of the “Vaccina Sim” campaign, however, are not concerned with the political debate involving drugs, but with their effects on the body. “It seems that these children [da campanha] were not contaminated by the political discussion surrounding vaccines in Brazil at the moment”, says Drauzio.

In Brazil, there are two immunizers authorized by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) for children: Pfizer, released in December for those aged 5 years and over; and Coronavac, which received approval last Thursday (20) for those aged 6 and over.

An unprecedented initiative, the consortium of press vehicles was created in June 2020 to monitor and disclose the numbers of Covid-19 after the Ministry of Health took data from the air and threatened to withhold information about the situation of the pandemic.

Since then, the vehicles have gathered to release daily balances of cases and deaths by Covid. With the start of vaccination, in January 2021, the consortium also started to disclose data on immunized individuals. Information is collected daily from state health departments by vehicle teams.

In January of last year, the consortium created the “Vaccina Sim” campaign, to raise awareness of the importance of getting vaccinated against Covid-19.

In the second stage of the campaign, in February, journalists and personalities linked to the consortium’s vehicles met to encourage vaccination. The campaign brought together columnists from leaf Juca Kfouri, Luiz Felipe Pondé and Djamila Ribeiro to actors Lázaro Ramos and Fernanda Montenegro, among others.

The third phase, in April, aimed to encourage the Brazilian population to continue taking the necessary care – such as the use of masks and social distance – during the advance of vaccination.

The fourth stage, in September, sought to make the population aware of the importance of completing immunization. It was aimed at young people, who had not yet taken the first dose, and also at those who were partially immunized.

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