[ad_1]
posted on 12/23/2020 06:00
(credit: AFP / NELSON ALMEIDA)
Faced with pressure from civil society and governors to launch the national immunization campaign as soon as possible, the government announced that it is committed to speeding up the vaccination process in the country. Yesterday, the Minister of Health, General Eduardo Pazuello, made a new forecast to begin vaccinating the first priority groups. He anticipated the estimate for “the end of January, at best.” In the same effort to streamline the immunization process, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) estimates that the first shipment of the vaccine will be available, in partnership with AstraZeneca, on February 8.
“We are preparing to start 2021 with the vaccine, God willing, as soon as it is registered by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency). […] Our forecast, as always, is the end of January, in the best case, and until the middle and end of February, in the worst case, ”declared Pazuello, during a brief speech at the Commission’s last hearing of the year. Combat Exterior. 19, in the Chamber of Deputies.
Until then, Pazuello had only revealed the most optimistic date in private meetings with the health managers of the portfolio, states and municipalities. However, in official notes, the Ministry of Health has always maintained a conservative forecast.
More CoronaVac
After a strong political confrontation between Doria and President Jair Bolsonaro, the federal government finally advanced in the negotiations with the Butantan Institute, developer of CoronaVac, along with the Chinese Sinovac. There is even the expectation of expanding the offer from 46 to 100 million doses of the candidate for the first half of 2021.
The Secretary of Health Surveillance, Arnaldo Medeiros, said yesterday that the ministry held a meeting with Butantan to expand the purchase of CoronaVac. Instead of 46 million doses, the paste aims to acquire 100 million at the end of the first half.
Initially, the contract that is being closed with Butantan foresees the delivery of 46 million doses of CoronaVac, 9 million in January, 15 million in February and 22 million in March. “We would have this delivery schedule proposed by Butantan, but yesterday (Monday), we had a meeting to expand this purchase to 100 million at the end of the first semester. The contract is in the final settlement stage, ”Medeiros said.
Millions of doses
Already with a technology transfer agreement with the University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, the Bio-Manguinhos immunobiological production unit of Fiocruz plans to deliver the first million doses of national production to the National Immunization Program (PNI) between 8 and on February 8. 12. Also at the Chamber committee meeting, the president of Fiocruz, Nísia Trindade Lima, informed the parliamentarians that the delivery rhythm of their own productions will accelerate from the third week, with the daily transfer of 700 thousand doses .
“We will receive an active pharmaceutical ingredient for this vaccine to begin production in January. This production must be certified by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency). […] The first two weeks are always adjustment. Then there will be 3.5 million doses per week. This is part of the effort we are making to guarantee vaccines, in the plural, for our population, ”said Nísia Trindade.
Another variable considered by Fiocruz is the request for emergency use of the vaccine, which can anticipate the delivery schedule. “The effort is, if possible, when the registration goes out with a regulatory agency equivalent to Anvisa, request authorization for emergency use within 10 days. Then we will also be working with this possibility ”, added the president.
The federal government plans to incorporate 100.4 million doses of the Oxford vaccine in the first half of 2021. There is also a forecast of 42.5 million doses provided by the multilateral mechanism Covax Facility, another 70 million by Pfizer, in addition to treatments . with CoronaVac and with the pharmaceutical companies Bharat Biotech, Moderna, Gamaleya and Janssen.
