Once essential, CoronaVac Is at Risk of Being Left Out of Brazil's Immunization Program

Vaccine is less effective against coronavirus variants

São Paulo

A pioneer in the fight against Covid in Brazil, the Coron Vac vaccine may have its days numbered in the country.

The vaccine developed by the Chinese laboratory Sinovac and produced here by the Butantan Institute, played an essential role in the beginning of vaccination against the coronavirus, representing 85% of the doses applied in March 2021.

Gradually, it lost ground to other brands and ended last year accounting for less than 10% of applications in the country.

And that rate could decrease even further.

This is because on Monday (18) the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, announced that the use of the immunizing agent will be restricted to children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years, withdrawing the vaccine from the National Immunization Program for adults.

In addition, studies show that the effectiveness of Coronovac as a booster dose against new variants tends to be lower than that of other manufacturers.

Thus, its use in new vaccination campaigns has been ruled out by the federal government.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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