When the Covid-19 vaccine is approved, it will not be offered to the entire population in 2021. According to the Ministry of Health, it will only be offered to groups at higher risk of exposure and complications from the disease.
The government will share a preliminary plan with health experts and secretaries on Tuesday (1st). The ministry was already talking about starting with priority cases, such as the elderly, chronically ill, and health professionals.
"We do not have a vaccine for the entire population. Also, the studies do not foresee working with all age groups," said the National Immunization Program coordinator, Francieli Fantinato.
The executive secretary of the Ministry of Health, Elcio Franco, compared the strategy with that of the flu vaccination campaigns. Prioritization depends on the epidemiological scenario and the indications for the immunizers.
"Our goal is to vaccinate 80 million Brazilians a year. We aren't talking about the entire population." According to him, this discussion is happening in other countries. Brazil already has agreements to immunize a third of the population.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon