This Wednesday (17) marks three years since the first person was vaccinated against Covid-19 in Brazil. Nurse Mônica Calazans, 57 years old, received the Coronavac vaccine, developed in the country by the Butantan Institute, at the Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo.
In the assessment of vaccination coverage, the primary two-dose scheme, with monovalent vaccines, records a coverage of 83.86%, from the beginning of the campaign in January 2021 until January 2024. Monitoring carried out by the Ministry of Health shows that 53.3% of the population completed the vaccination cycle of the monovalent vaccine.
In the age group from 6 months to 2 years, coverage is 13% for two doses, and for the complete three-dose regimen, coverage is 5.7%. According to data released by the ministry, in the age group aged 40 and over, coverage is 95.05%, and this was the only age group to reach the vaccination target of 90%.
In the case of reinforcement with the bivalent vaccine, developed to combat the original strain and Ômicron, which have been applied since February last year, only 16.26% of the population sought a clinic.
In the national context, the year 2023 ended with 1,879,583 cases and 14,785 deaths from Covid-19. In the first epidemiological week of 2024, 19,950 cases and 101 deaths were reported, signaling a decrease in both the number of cases and deaths compared to the last week of 2023.
The first vaccinated
Mônica Calazans lives in the capital of São Paulo and worked at the Emílio Ribas hospital, a reference in the treatment of Covid-19 in the country, when she took the first dose. She was the first person to be vaccinated against the disease in Brazil.
The nurse, at the time of administering the dose, had a high risk profile for complications from the virus: she was obese, hypertensive and diabetic. Even so, in May, when the pandemic reached some of its greatest peaks, she chose to work at the hospital, even though she was aware that the unit would be at the epicenter of the fight against the pandemic.
According to her, the vocation spoke louder even though the work was risky. Today the nurse works at the University Center of Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas (FMU). The professional worked as a nursing assistant for 26 years, decided to go to college later and obtained her nursing diploma at the age of 47.
“Being a nurse and facing a pandemic without a vaccine made all the difference, we had the courage to face such an overwhelming virus, making everyone on the front line demonstrate determination and commitment to the health of the population”, she stated.
“Each person’s commitment to saving lives, including myself, was moving, it was moving. When a patient was discharged we celebrated and thanked God, and when the vaccine arrived it was even more happiness because, from that moment on, we had an ally to combat and reduce the number of vaccine cases”, he told CNN .
Mônica also highlights the importance of people taking booster doses and that campaigns inform the population about the effectiveness of the vaccine.
“The fact that people do not complete their vaccination cycle against Covid-19 is worrying, we have variants circulating among us. People think that because they have resumed their normal routine, everything is fine and they forget the need to complete the cycle. More campaigns and information are needed so that the population understands the effectiveness of the vaccine,” she said.
Ministerial campaign for 2024
According to the report released in January 2024 by the Ministry of Health, the department continues to monitor the circulation of the virus in the Northern Hemisphere, considering the winter period in this region, which usually causes an increase in cases of respiratory viruses of importance for public health.
This month's report highlights an increase in cases due to the year-end break. Despite this, important situations can already be observed using data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), such as the increase in the notification of new cases of Covid-19 in the last weeks of 2023 on all continents.
According to Health, the numbers reinforce the importance of vaccination and other preventive measures.
“Up-to-date vaccination is the best way to prevent Covid-19, its serious forms and deaths, especially in the most vulnerable populations. Therefore, it is essential that anyone who has missed a dose visits a health unit to reinforce protection against the disease. It is also important to start and complete the vaccination of children, as infection with the virus can bring risks and consequences”, announced the ministry.
Furthermore, the ministry highlights that other respiratory diseases, such as Influenza A, have seen an increase in cases in some countries, which may be related to the growth in Covid-19 infections, and also deserve attention.
*Under the supervision of Bruno Laforé
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
