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RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil should incorporate CoronaVac and other vaccines in the final stages of testing against covid-19 in the national immunization plan, a group of experts tasked with helping the Health Ministry said on Wednesday . of the proposal, in another commission to the federal government to expand the repertoire of vaccine options to face the pandemic.
In a public note from the technical group, seen by Reuters, experts highlight the need for a large volume of doses to ensure wide coverage for the Brazilian population.
The group said it is worrying to note that, so far, the “only alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine included in the planning is the one offered by Pfizer, precisely the one that presents the greatest logistical challenge for its incorporation into the national vaccination strategy for the supply chain”. cold required “as it requires storage at -70 degrees Celsius.
“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 candidate vaccines in the final stages of efficacy studies, ”the group said.
“It is necessary to consider that a delay in the vaccination campaign means loss of life and now we need to use science to make the decision that guides what matters most: the preservation of the lives of thousands of Brazilians. This is the most important task. of our time and all efforts must be made for its timely, safe and effective implementation. “
States and municipalities are requesting the federal government to present a national vaccination plan against covid-19 that includes a wide variety of vaccines and does not focus only on the AstraZeneca immunizer, which is the federal government’s main commitment.
Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello had promised governors the day before to present the vaccination plan on Wednesday, but postponed the announcement. The expectation is that this will happen next week, according to the secretary of Health Surveillance of the portfolio, Arnaldo Medeiros.
Without specifically mentioning CoronaVac, Pazuello reiterated on Wednesday that the ministry will purchase all available vaccines and incorporate them into the immunization plan, provided they have been approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
The Chinese vaccine is viewed with resistance by President Jair Bolsonaro, both because it is manufactured by a Chinese company and because it has the Butantan Institute as a partner in Brazil, linked to the São Paulo government of its political rival João Doria.
Apart from the agreement with AstraZeneca, which includes purchase of doses and technology transfer, the ministry announced an agreement with Pfizer, whose vaccine was the first in the world to be approved for large-scale vaccination in the UK.
The experts’ document also defended the inclusion of other populations considered by the group of experts as vulnerable to covid-19 among the vaccination priorities, citing “quilombola and riverine populations, for living realities similar to those of indigenous populations already included in the plan”. as well as deprived of liberty and people with disabilities “.
“Another important point that should be considered is the expansion of the scope of the fourth phase for all education workers, and also the inclusion, in the vaccination groups, of the other essential workers,” he evaluated.
