The Ministry of Health decided to recommend the application of the CoronaVac vaccine, against covid-19, for children aged 3 to 5 years. In a note released today (15), the ministry said that existing stocks in states and municipalities should also be used in this new public. However, the ministry reported that it “continues in negotiations for the acquisition of new doses”.
The decision of the Ministry of Health came after hearing the Technical Advisory Chamber on Immunization of Covid-19 (CTAI), and the authorization of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in the same direction. In a meeting of the board of Anvisa, in Brasília, last Wednesday (13), the agency followed the recommendation of the technical areas and authorized immunization with two doses of the vaccine, with an interval of 28 days between them. Approval is only valid for children who have no problems with immunity.
The agency’s decision, on which the Ministry of Health was based, was based on several national and international studies on the effectiveness of the vaccine in children. The surveys were carried out by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and the Butantan Institute, in addition to international entities. Opinions from medical societies and from Anvisa’s areas of pharmacovigilance and evaluation of biological products were also taken into account.
One of the clinical studies, carried out in Chile, showed 55% effectiveness of CoronaVac against the hospitalization of children who test positive for covid-19. In addition, children who participated in clinical studies had more antibodies and fewer vaccine reactions than adults. In Brazil, data showed that severe reactions after vaccination were considered rare and very rare.
