Brazil: States require COVID-19 vaccine for children up to 3 years old

All Brazilian states have requested the Ministry of Health to purchase and distribute doses of the pediatric vaccine against COVID -19 for all children between 6 months and 3 years of age. In a note, the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass) appealed to the ministry to expand the recommendation of immunization for this age group.

On Thursday (Nov. 10), the Ministry of Health started distributing doses of Pfizer`s Comirnaty pediatric vaccine for children with comorbidities, between 6 months and 3 years old. A total of 1 million doses have been sent to the states and the Federal District. However, vaccination for all children in this age group had been authorized by Anvisa since September 16.

The Conass note mentioned the most recent InfoGripe Bulletin, published by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), which indicated that children up to 4 years of age are currently the group at highest risk for COVID-19, considering the population up to 60 years of age. According to the bulletin, the disease is expanding in the adult population in four states: Amazonas, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo, with a risk of spreading to children.