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BRASILIA – The discussion on the availability of types of vaccines in the immunization plan of the Ministry of Health caused a division in the technical group that designs the strategy. On Wednesday, members of the “Epidemiological” axis of the Covid-19 Vaccination Operational Plan drafted a letter to pressure the government for the acquisition of CoronaVac, prepared by the Butantan Institute in partnership with the Sinovac laboratory. The group also argues that people deprived of liberty are among the priority public to receive the vaccine.
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We are concerned to see that, so far, the only alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine included in the plan is the one offered by Pfizer, precisely the one that presents the greatest logistical challenge to incorporate into the national vaccination strategy due to the necessary cold chain ”. says the text that O GLOBO had access to.
The letter was written after disagreements at a staff meeting to define priority groups to receive the vaccine. GLOBO learned that the Ministry of Health’s negotiations with Pfizer ended up raising the temperature of the specialists who design the strategy and taking the discussion “more to the political side.”
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After the disagreement, part of the members decided to write a letter to pressure the ministry to advance negotiations with other developers. The letter was delivered to members of the Epidemiological Axis, but not all chose to sign.
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For this reason, we have come to request the Brazilian government, through the Ministry of Health, to make an effort to immediately open negotiations with the Butantan Institute, which could already offer doses of vaccines, with other companies that work with the CoronaVac vaccine and with other vaccine candidates in the final stages of efficacy studies, ”they state in the letter.
Another sensitive point in the letter addresses the definition of priority groups to receive vaccination. The Ministry of Health excluded persons deprived of liberty from the fourth phase of the plan. As reported by O GLOBO, the decision of the Ministry of Health to remove the detainees from the group of priority people to receive the Covid-19 vaccine was not endorsed by Francieli Fantinato, head of the National Immunization Program (PNI).
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We consider that, in addition to the populations already included and presented in the government note, all populations considered most vulnerable to COVID-19, such as quilombolas and riverine populations, should be included in the priority of vaccination, since they live similar realities to those of the indigenous populations already included. in the plan, in addition to being deprived of liberty and people with disabilities, “says part of the text.
The draft, described as the “final version” of the group’s letter, also speaks of the large number of deaths in the country and demands that the authorities guarantee vaccination:
“Our mission as scientists is to point out the population groups that most need to be vaccinated at this time of emergency, being the authorities’ obligation to provide the necessary doses so that this can be done satisfactorily. In a scenario of scarcity, where the world continues to search for alternatives for a wide and adequate vaccination and in which countries such as Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom have guaranteed vaccination for their entire population, the latter having already started its campaign, we express even greater concern , due to the increase in cases and deaths in Brazil “.
