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The United Kingdom today began vaccinating its elderly and health professionals against the new coronavirus, becoming the first country in the world to immunize against the disease. Yesterday, the São Paulo government announced its own immunization plan, which should begin on January 25 next year, although it still needs Anvisa’s approval.
Almost a year after China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the appearance of a respiratory syndrome of unknown cause, some countries say they are getting closer to a vaccine. At least 200 immunizers are being studied worldwide, and a few dozen show promise.
In addition to the United Kingdom and São Paulo, France, Russia and other countries have already presented their vaccination plans for the end of this year or the beginning of next. See the situation around the world:
United Kingdom
Vaccination and Victory Day V, as British Health Minister Matt Hancock put it, begins this Tuesday for those over 80, frontline healthcare professionals and nursing home employees and residents. About 800 thousand doses will be applied in this first week.
The vaccine is from Pfizer / BioNTech, considered the most promising so far with its 95% effectiveness. However, it is outside the profile of Brazil due to logistics and warehousing requirements. To maintain its efficacy, the vaccine should be stored at -70ºC.
With more than 61,000 deaths, the United Kingdom is the country in Europe most affected by the pandemic and the fifth in the world in the number of confirmed deaths from covid-19, surpassed by the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.
China
The country where the disease started has at least five very promising vaccines in the run. Since the country is no longer in the community transmission phase of the disease, its vaccines are being tested in other countries, including Brazil.
There is still no date set for a vaccination program, but Chinese pharmaceutical companies committed to developing a vaccine have already applied it to “hundreds of thousands” of people outside of clinical trials.
So far, only Sinopharm said in November that it had requested final approval for the use of its vaccine. Others have been approved for emergency use in people considered at high risk of infection.
In June, CanSino received authorization to vaccinate military personnel, while Sinovac and CNBG received authorization to vaccinate large populations of the country outside of ongoing clinical trials. At least 90% of Sinovac employees have already been vaccinated, the company said.
Russia
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country to begin its mass immunization campaign against the disease soon. The order came in a video conference just hours after the UK Health Ministry announced the start of its plan.
Already on Saturday, the country began vaccinating Moscow workers considered most exposed to the virus. Seventy vaccination centers were opened in the Russian capital, initially serving social workers, medical personnel and teachers.
Sputnik V was the first vaccine registered in the world, in August, but still in phase 3 testing. Putin praises the vaccine and says one of his daughters has already taken it. For now, the country has no plans to import immunizers from other countries.
At the UN, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that more than 100,000 people have been vaccinated with Sputnik V. The vaccine is also expected to be produced in India and South Korea. According to Putin, more than 2 million doses of Sputnik should be produced.
United States
Despite the promises of President Donald Trump, the United States did not have a vaccine before the election. But it doesn’t seem that far from having at least one approval anymore.
The US regulatory agency has yet to approve any of the vaccines that are being tested around the world. However, BioNTech / Pfizer already submitted its candidate for FDA review in mid-November. According to the US station CNN, the agency’s vaccine committee will meet the next 10 days to discuss the authorizations.
Canada
Today, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the country will have up to 249,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of the year. Like the UK, the country will prioritize nursing home residents and staff.
The first doses will reach some of the provinces most affected in number of cases and deaths, such as Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. The distribution to the provinces will be made per capita, that is, each one will receive doses in numbers proportional to their participation in the population.
However, the vaccine has not yet been approved by the country’s regulatory agency, Health Canada. According to local press, agency officials have already indicated that it is close to completing its effectiveness and safety evaluation and approval may occur later this week.
France
France has also already presented a vaccination plan that should begin in January with risk groups in nursing homes. The plan is to vaccinate 1 million people in January and 14 million in February.
The country is awaiting regulatory approval from the European Medicines Agency. According to French Prime Minister Jean Castex, the country has already ordered more than 200 million doses from different pharmaceutical companies, enough to inoculate 100 million people.
