Uruguay’s Ministry of Public Health announced on Wednesday (28) that all people vaccinated in the country with two doses of the immunizing agent Coronavac will be able to receive a third dose of the drug produced by Pfizer.
According to a statement released by the ministry, the measure is based on the recommendation of a commission that advises the Uruguayan government. The document provides for a phased application valid for those who received the second dose of Coronavac at least 90 days ago.
On Tuesday (27), the ministry had already announced the approval of the application of a third and even a fourth dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 for people with moderate and severe immunosuppression due to other diseases – because they have an immune system. deficient, these people become eligible to receive booster doses against the coronavirus.
Uruguay began its vaccination campaign almost five months ago. As of Wednesday, 73.5% of Uruguayans have received at least one dose of anti-Covid drugs, and just over 63% are fully immune.
Good immunization performance places Uruguay in fifth position in the list of countries with more doses applied in proportion to the size of their population. There were 1365.4 doses per thousand inhabitants.
The ranking is formed by Malta (1,700.1), the United Arab Emirates (1,683), Seychelles (1,438.2) and Iceland (1,372.7) – Brazil is 59th on the list, with an index of 648.7 applications.
Adherence to vaccination is also reflected in a sharp drop in the number of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations due to complications from Covid-19. In April, Uruguay had the highest daily infection rate in the world and also became the record holder for deaths per million population.
These indices fell slightly at the end of April, rose again in May and, from mid-June, fell. On June 10, for example, the daily moving average was 3,659. Last Tuesday, the index was 202, a drop of around 94%. In terms of number of deaths, the percentage is similar. On June 10, an average of 57 people died from the coronavirus each day. On Tuesday, the index was slightly above 6.
Hungary also announced the application of a third dose of the coronavirus vaccination on Wednesday for all those who have been vaccinated for more than four months. The aim is to strengthen the immunity of the elderly and vulnerable, in particular with the spread of the delta variant — the most contagious — on the European continent.
There is still not a large body of sufficient scientific evidence to assess whether the benefits of a booster vaccination outweigh the costs, but some researchers have pointed to a drop in the number of antibodies after vaccination from the third week. After four months of complete vaccination, the number of antibodies varies between one-fifth and one-half of those found shortly after vaccination.
In Brazil, the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, announced Wednesday that the file ordered a study to assess the need for a third dose in people who received Coronavac. The research will be carried out by the University of Oxford in São Paulo and Salvador, and will consist of testing a new dose of Coronavac and three other vaccines approved in Brazil: Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Janssen. The results are expected to be released by November.