Covid: Bivalent vaccine released for all adults – 04/24/2023 – Health

The Ministry of Health has extended vaccination with a bivalent booster dose against Covid-19 to the entire population over 18 years of age. The announcement was made on the afternoon of Monday (24).

According to the folder, about 97 million Brazilians can seek health units.

Each state must define how the vaccination schedule will be. In São Paulo, the State Department of Health said it expected the arrival of a technical note from the Ministry, which should take place this Tuesday (25), and assess how many doses the municipalities have to give immunization.

Anyone who has already received at least two doses of monovalent vaccines (Coronavirus, Astrazeneca or Pfizer) should take the bivalent vaccine, respecting a four-month interval between the last dose.

“We need to regain the confidence of the population in vaccines”, said the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade.

To try to encourage people to take the vaccine, at the beginning of the month, the ministry had already released the application of the bivalent for those aged 12 and over with comorbidities, and removed the requirement for medical proof – self-declaration was enough.

According to the Municipal Secretary of Health of São Paulo, until last Tuesday (18), not even half of the then target public had received the bivalent of the São Paulo capital —47.6% of those who could already go to the posts took the reinforcement.

The vaccine, which contains a blend of the original virus strain from Wuhan, China, and omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, offers increased protection against omicron and circulating strains of the Covid virus.

In clinical studies around the world, the vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective.

The FDA (agency that regulates drugs in the USA) published last Tuesday (18) a recommendation for a new booster of the bivalent vaccine in individuals aged 65 years or older who received the first booster (bivalent) at least four months ago.

According to the agency, groups of individuals over 65 years old still represent a more vulnerable portion for serious illness, hospitalization and death, so they are eligible for a new dose of the vaccine that protects against omicron and its variants.