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João Gabbardo, coordinator of the covid-19 contingency center in São Paulo, accused the Ministry of Health today. He affirmed that the federal government needs to speed up the definition of the logistics of vaccines against the new coronavirus, through meetings with governments and municipalities. Otherwise, “we are going to waste time” to immunize the population.
Gabbardo explained that Brazil will need two or three vaccines, since no factory will be able to sell alone the large number of doses that the country should need, about 400 million, according to him.
Given this, Gabbardo understands that Brazil needs to define which vaccines will be purchased and how they will be distributed. He hopes that the Ministry of Health does not wait for the records of Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) to talk about this.
“This logistics is going to involve a lot of discussion. It has to involve the states. The Ministry of Health has to start calling the state and municipal secretariats, to start planning now. We cannot let you plan when vaccinations are recorded by Anvisa. . Or we will waste time. The ideal was that at that moment the planning was ready ”, accused Gabbardo, in an interview with CNN Brazil.
Another possible difficulty for vaccination is that immunizers have different transport and storage characteristics. Some, such as Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, need to use freezers that reach very low temperatures, of -20 ° C or -70 ° C. Gabbardo pointed out that this problem will not exist with CoronaVac, a vaccine that the state of São Paulo has already bought at Chinese laboratory SinoVac.
“If it is logistics for the Butantan vaccine, in partnership with SinoVac, you will not have any difficulties. It is the same logistics as the influenza vaccine, which we distribute almost 70 million throughout Brazil. The temperature is that of a common refrigerator. I believe that the vaccine can be distributed in a week. Perhaps with the exception of northern Brazil. In other places, in a week there is a vaccine. If it is a vaccine that needs to be transported at -20 ° C, it needs different logistics. This may cause a certain delay. It is possible to mix the vaccine distribution. Those who need a lower temperature can go to the capitals. And the interior would receive another. Everything will depend on which vaccines the Ministry incorporates ”, explained Gabbardo.
The Ministry of Health recently met with manufacturers of various vaccines, but did not announce the conclusions of these meetings. At the moment, Brazil has only expressed interest in buying the vaccine produced by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca with the University of Oxford. There was also an agreement to express interest in buying SinoVac, but President Jair Bolsonaro (no party) canceled.
Asked about which groups in society will be vaccinated with priority, Gabbardo explained that this also corresponds to the Ministry of Health, but stressed that he likes the model that should be applied in the United Kingdom.
“For the influenza vaccine, priority groups are considered, the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with low immunity. Then certain professions, such as medical, security and education areas. It is the criterion that the United States should use. But the UK is thinking differently. Thinking of making distribution with chronological criteria. Starting with people over 80 years old. Then the age groups will be reduced. It is a criterion that seems interesting and logical to me, because deaths are more frequent according to age groups, “said Gabbardo.
