COVID vaccination rate has significant differences between regions in Brazil | National Magazine

With each new dose applied, Brazil is advancing in the number of vaccinations. As of Tuesday (18), according to data collected by the Media Consortium, More than 147 million Brazilians have taken doses or a single dose. This represents approximately 70% of the total population.

But when we look at vaccination case by case, an abyss emerges. There are more people vaccinated in some areas than in others.

Tuesday, or country Sao Paulo It was first among those vaccinated the most, with more than 78% of the population given two or one doses.

Then it came Biaoui, Santa Catarina, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul – all with more than 70%.

At the bottom of the list appears Tocantins and Maranhão Just over half of the population was on two or one doses. Akko did not reach the half. And he was the last of them amaba and Roraima by less than 40%.

Researcher Covid Observatory Fucruz Rafael Guimarães says states that have been vaccinated less so far have younger populations, who started vaccinating later, and still have difficulties getting the vaccine to people.

“The national immunization program must organize not only the distribution of the vaccine, but also the storage and availability of the vaccine application. Access to the most remote places in the country has always been a difficult issue for the PNI. We have places, for example, in the far north of the country, where the population is on the banks The river is sometimes three days away from the sanitary unit,” explains epidemiologist Rafael Guimarães.

The researcher also says that instability in Ministry of Health – which continues to affect the reporting of some data – has exacerbated the situation, because it has become difficult to plan actions to improve the distribution of vaccines.

All public policies aim to reduce inequality. So, when we don’t have the data to plan properly, what we do is continue or even increase these differences between states and cities,” says Rafael Guimarães.

One of the biggest risks of inequity in dosing is that places with fewer people vaccinated could have more severe cases and deaths from Covid. There are also fears of new types of the virus emerging in these areas. Which, in the end, has consequences for everyone.

Epidemiologist Pedro Hilal from Federal University of PelotasHe says that while the vast majority of people aren’t protected by the vaccine — and equally in all states — they will always be at risk.

Initial estimates were 70%, 75%. Unfortunately, with the emergence of these new variants, we need to vaccinate 90% of the population in order to be able to control the virus. This is our challenge,” says epidemiologist Pedro Halal.

But he remembers that Brazil can change the game, because it has experience with large vaccination programs against various diseases.

“Our vaccination record is so successful that Brazil can reach 90% of its vaccinated population,” says Halal.

the Ministry of Health He stated that he is carefully monitoring the progress of vaccination in the states; which distributed more than 400 million doses – in a proportionate and fair manner; which recommended that states and municipalities actively seek the portion of the population that has not completed a course of vaccination.