COVID-19 vaccination to be expanded
Experts interviewed by Agência Brasil have stated that the decisive factor leading to the World Health Organization's (WHO) declaration of the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency of international concern was the widespread vaccination efforts.
In their opinion, now that the most critical period of the disease has passed, it is imperative to sustain and expand immunization efforts, particularly to reach groups that are still inadequately protected by vaccines, including children.
Cristiana Toscano, a professor at the Federal University of Goiás and a member of the World Health Organization's strategic committee of vaccination experts, has been closely monitoring the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. Considering the end of the health emergency, Toscano emphasizes the need to reinforce the ongoing importance of vaccination, as the disease will not simply disappear.
"As we move towards a more stable situation, we must remain vigilant as the disease continues to circulate. We must keep vaccination up-to-date, particularly among the highest-risk groups," she explains.
As a member of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations and an infectologist, she emphasizes that the vaccines have helped to stabilize the virus and disease transmission rates, ultimately leading to the end of the health emergency on Friday (May 5). However, due to the circulation of the Ômicron variant and its subvariants, the administration of booster doses is deemed essential to maintain protection levels.
"As for the Omicron variant and its subvariants, it is recommended that individuals receive at least three vaccine doses to ensure protection against severe illness and death. Additionally, specific guidelines for each high-risk group dictate the frequency of necessary booster shots," she explains.
"It is crucial that we continue to expand vaccination coverage, not only for COVID-19 but also for other vaccine-preventable diseases, and remain prepared for any future public health emergencies that may arise," she emphasizes.
As reported by the World Health Organization, since the initiation of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, over 13.3 billion doses of vaccine have been administered worldwide. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health reports that more than 514 million vaccine doses have been administered, and over 166 million individuals have received at least two doses.
Unprotected children
Patrícia Boccolini, the coordinator of the Childhood Health Observatory at Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) and the Arthur de Sá Earp Neto Center at Petrópolis Medical School (Unifase), points out that while vaccines have facilitated the end of the health emergency, numerous individuals worldwide still lack access to them. Children have been neglected, with some not receiving vaccinations due to a lack of parental oversight. "The Brazilian Ministry of Health's epidemiological bulletin reports that we had 550 child COVID-19 deaths in 2022," she notes.
Patricia Boccolini points out that it is necessary to continue and intensify the efforts for vaccines to reach all countries and all parts of the population within each country, correcting the current discrepancies.
"We have to keep in mind that the committee's directive is for countries to persist in their vaccination efforts and to continue fighting misinformation and fake news about vaccines, especially focused on COVID-19. As we are going to coexist with the virus for a long period, we cannot let vaccination coverage drop. Moreover, we must increase vaccination coverage for children under 5 years old.”
Evolving virus
Felipe Naveca, the Fiocruz Amazônia researcher responsible for sequencing the Gamma variant before a crucial phase of the pandemic in Brazil, has expressed his relief at the end of the health emergency that led to more than 700,000 deaths in the country. However, Naveca emphasizes the importance of continuing the work of genomic surveillance, given the evolving nature of the virus.
"It's crucial that we maintain ongoing surveillance of at least a portion of these cases to assess whether the virus will eventually mutate into a more dangerous strain. We have observed the virus evolving and producing various strains, occasionally resulting in a rise in the number of infections. However, there hasn't been a significant increase in severe cases," he added.
