‎Brazil News

The Ministry of Health is distributing an additional 5 million doses of vaccine against Covid-19. Of these, 1,051,750 correspond to AstraZeneca / Oxford's first vaccine shipment, produced in Brazil by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). Another 3.9 million refer to yet another batch of the vaccine produced by the Butantan Institute. The forecast is that deliveries will take place until this Sunday (21st), in a proportional and equal way to all states and the Federal District.

 

According to the Seventh Technical Report of the Secretariat of Health Surveillance (SVS) released by the folder, the new batch of vaccines from Butantan will serve health professionals and the elderly from 70 to 74 years old while AstraZeneca's immunizers will contemplate riverside and quilombola communities. The strategy was defined considering the longer period for the application of the second dose of the Fiocruz vaccine, which has an interval of 12 weeks between them, facilitating compliance with the vaccine schedule in places that are difficult to access.

 

The expectation is that this distribution will cover 100% of the inhabitants of riverside communities and 63% of the population in quilombola communities across the country.

 

Also according to the report, in this stage of distribution, the doses produced by the Butantan Institute should be used by the states as the first dose, in full. The recommendation comes after ensuring the stability of weekly deliveries of vaccine shipments with domestic production and imported raw material (IFA). This strategy will make it possible to accelerate the vaccination of priority groups in Brazil and reduce severe cases of Covid-19.

 

We are one nation

The Ministry of Health has already coordinated nine vaccine distribution guidelines since January 18, the beginning of the vaccination campaign against Covid-19. To date, more than 25 million doses of immunizers have been sent to all Federative Units - more than 13 million have already been applied to priority groups.

 

For the month of March, the schedule sent to the folder by the laboratories, subject to changes according to the production of the vaccines, foresees the delivery of a total of 30 million doses: 23.3 million from the Butantan Institute, sent in weekly shipments and distributed in the same periodicity; 3.8 million of the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine, produced at Fiocruz; and a further 2.9 million doses of the same immunizer purchased via the Covax Facility consortium.

 

Covax Facility

This Sunday, the Ministry of Health receives the first shipment of vaccines acquired through the global consortium Covax Facility. The arrival is scheduled for 18h, at Guarulhos International Airport, in São Paulo. In this first batch, Brazil will receive 1,022,400 doses of the AstraZeneca / Oxford immunizer, manufactured in South Korea. Another 1.9 million doses are expected to arrive in the country by the end of March.

 

Doses arrive in the country through the Rotating Fund of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The initial schedule, subject to changes, foresees 2.9 million doses in March and another 6.1 million by May, further expanding Brazilians' access to immunization. Brazil's agreement with the global vaccine alliance provides for 42.5 million doses for 2021.

 

The consortium was created with the aim of promoting the development and production of immunizers against Covid-19, allowing fair and equal access to vaccines through partnerships with laboratories. The alliance facilitates the distribution of doses, reducing the contagion and leaving more people protected.

 

Brazil is one of the 191 countries that are part of the Covax Facility for the provision of vaccines from 10 different laboratories. Promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the consortium already has the participation of specialists from the Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) among those responsible for analyzing the studies and data necessary for the approval of vaccines that will arrive in the country.