Brazil to apply booster vaccine and reduce time between doses

Brazil to start giving booster vaccines against covid-19 to certain groups from mid-September, joining the country plan such as United States and Chile who plan to use the extra dose to contain the virus.

The reinforcement will preferably be Pfizer Inc., the Ministry of Health said in a series of tweets on Wednesday. The effort will focus on people over 70 who were vaccinated more than six months ago, as well as those with immunodeficiencies. Vaccines Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca Plc could be used as an alternative, the ministry said. The authorities did not mention CoronaVac from Sinovac Biotech, which has been used frequently in Brazil but has lower efficacy rates.

Study supports use of third booster dose in immunocompromised people

Officials also announced that shorten the interval between the first and second dose to eight weeks, instead of 12for AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, which will likely speed up the country’s vaccination campaign. The longest gap, mainly applied at least one vaccine to 60.7% of its population, a rate comparable to that of the United States, only 26% of people received both doses, almost half the level the United States

The urgency for a full vaccination and the rollout of booster vaccines has increased around the world as governments fight to stop the spread of the delta variant, a more contagious strain of coronavirus that has led to an increase in infections. in countries ranging from Israel to Mexico.

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