Covid vaccines included in Brazil’s regular immunization calendar

The Health Ministry announced on Tuesday the inclusion of Covid vaccines in the national vaccination calendar in 2024. Next week, the ministry will also launch an awareness campaign on network television and social media about testing, treating, and vaccinating against Covid.

Covid vaccines were massively popular among Brazil’s adult population, with the country quickly surpassing the U.S. population in percentage of vaccinated adults once the shots became available. As per the latest data, over 167 million Brazilians — about 82 percent of the overall population — have had at least two jabs. Since the pandemic started, Brazil has administered more than 518 million doses.

The administration of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was slow to purchase enough vaccines for the Brazilian population. The former president never got publicly vaccinated, and is currently investigated for using fake vaccination records.

Following a massive disinformation campaign by the Bolsonaro administration, Covid vaccines were not so popular with parents of young children. Only about half of children aged 5 to 11 have received two doses of the Covid vaccine.

Children aged 6 months to 5 years old will be among the priority groups for next year’s vaccination campaign. Under Brazilian legislation, the vaccination of children is mandatory.

Additionally, the ritonavir medication is available under Brazil’s public health system for Covid patients over 65 or immunosuppressed adults.

A bulletin published on Monday by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a federal health research institute, showed a recent uptick in Covid cases in some Brazilian states. Mortality rates dropped dramatically after vaccination was introduced.

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