Espiritu Santo, Maranhão, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pernambuco and Santa Catarina have decided to submit the application of the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for AstraZeneca. The main reasons are to increase the proportion of the fully immunized population and to avoid exceeding the 12-week maximum between doses, given the difficulties of federal deliveries. The more transferable delta variant also worries the authorities.
In São Paulo, specialists from the state’s Center for Precipitation Against Covid-19 should meet Thursday, 8th, to discuss reducing the time period. At a press conference on Wednesday, the government expressed concern about the new alternative, which is already circulating in the state.
In Santa Catarina, the interval between doses of AstraZeneca was shortened to ten weeks. The Department of Health stated that the procedure aims to regulate the vaccination process and avoid delaying the second dose. The maximum period between applications, according to the Ministry of Health, is 12 weeks.
Carlos Alberto Justo da Silva, Florianópolis’ health minister, said he was studying how to anticipate the second dose. “We have been waiting for three months because we didn’t have enough vaccine and the effectiveness was the same. If there is a vaccine available to reduce the waiting time, we will do it,” he said.
The city vaccinates residents of 40 years or older, and according to him, the vaccination coverage in the already included categories is 90%. “Florianopolis does not have a vaccine on the shelf. We are showing that the city is able to vaccinate at a greater rate,” he said. According to Silva, the municipality is waiting for information on how many vaccines it will receive from the state to determine how many weeks to expect the second dose.
In Mato Grosso do Sul, the period between the first and second doses was shortened to eight weeks (56 days). This procedure applies to the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. The Municipal Health Minister, José Mauro Velo, explained that the main goal is to avoid delaying the second dose. He fears there may be a shortage of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the coming months.
Mauro Filo is asking for more guidance from the Ministry of Health on this subject. “Everything we do is based on international studies,” he says. “We don’t have any guidance from the federal government. The Ministry of Health needs to take a stand.” Goias said he expects the second dose “in a few days”. On the other hand, Maranhão authorized the application of the second dose of AstraZeneca eight weeks after the first day. The advance is valid for cities that received a lot with a short expiration date.
Espírito Santo recommends that health professionals write on the population vaccination card a period of 12 weeks (84 days), but allow the second dose to be anticipated and applied ten weeks after the first (70 days). “Vaccines must be applied in the shortest possible time from the moment they arrive,” defended on Monday, the 5th, Minister of Health Nisio Fernandez de Medeiros Jr.
However, the case even involved the Public Prosecution Office, which notified the government of Espirito Santo of possible responsibility for not complying with the three-month deadline. The population is lost due to the amount of information. Self-employed Luciana Busati took her first dose on May 14. The second will be in August, but now she’s confused. “I don’t know when I will take the other dose.”
In Pernambuco, the state has authorized municipalities to apply the second dose of the vaccine between 60 and 90 days after the first. In an epidemiological bulletin issued this week, the government said that the discussion arose after the Ministry of Health expected in about a month to send doses aimed at completing the immunization scheme. The state directs that each city organize the calendar according to its stock — Recife, for example, reduced to 60 days.
The Ministry of Health, in a statement, said that it is following up on all studies of vaccines against Covid-19 and any modification should be discussed in the Technical Advisory Room for Immunization and Infectious Diseases. The interval between doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to the text, as provided in the package leaflet and the manufacturer’s directions, remains “12 weeks”.
The emergence of variable anxiety
São Paulo’s fear of the delta variable is repeated in other states and even outside Brazil. Florianopolis’ Minister of Health says one reason to expect the second dose is to protect more people in the face of the arrival of new strains. “Anyone who isn’t worried about that is crazy,” he says.
The head of Campo Grande’s health department is also concerned about the spread of variants. “The second dose gives more coverage, so we have to complete the immunization as quickly as possible,” he says. Mauro Filho says second-dose application is intensifying in the city and that the difference in percentage between those vaccinated with the first and second dose is decreasing.
In Europe, the UK is seeing a rise in delta-related cases, especially among young people who are not yet fully vaccinated. To control the new outbreak, the state expected to apply the second dose of vaccines from AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna. Now, all adults can get a booster dose eight weeks after the first dose. The previous deadline was 12 weeks.
France also decided to reduce the minimum time between doses of the vaccine to three weeks. The decision applies to immunizing devices from Pfizer and Moderna. Provinces in Canada made the same decision to reduce the time between doses. The two countries are also concerned about the delta variable. / VINÍCIUS collaborating group, especially for ESTADO
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