Influenza vaccination campaign starts across the country

The National Flu Vaccination Campaign started this Monday (10). According to the Ministry of Health, the goal is to vaccinate, by May 31, at least 90% of the priority public for immunization, which adds up to 81.8 million people. Among the targets of the campaign are people aged 60 or over, children from six months to five years of age, health workers, teachers, pregnant and postpartum women. Indigenous peoples, riverside peoples, quilombolas, professionals from the security and rescue forces, the military, people with comorbidities, people with permanent disabilities, truck drivers, public transport workers, port workers, penitentiary system professionals, people deprived of freedom and adolescents under socio-educational measures. This year, all priority segments will be immunized at the same time. The Ministry of Health estimates vaccinating 79.5 million people across the country and therefore distributed 80 million doses. In the state of São Paulo, where only 69% of the target public were immunized last year, the goal is to reach 18.4 million people this year. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, 6.9 million people are expected to be vaccinated. According to the municipal secretary of Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigo Prado, in the capital of Rio de Janeiro alone there are 237 vaccination posts, operating from Monday to Friday, during business hours, and on Saturday mornings. “The target of these priority groups is 2 million people [na cidade do Rio]. We expect people to get vaccinated. This year there were more than 230,000 flu cases reported, increasing a lot in children, especially. We want to prevent and prevent them from getting more serious flu, from having to go to hospital, from having pneumonia. The vaccine actually works really well for that.” Retired Adão Eusébio Francisco, 84 years old, went to get vaccinated in a special tent set up in Praça Mauá, in the center of the city, along with his colleagues from the gymnastics class. “After we get vaccinated, the flu even gets it, but it is milder. Every year I get vaccinated and, thank God, it comes lighter”, says the retiree. Another member of the gym class, retiree Valmir de Mello, 65, also took advantage of the first day of the campaign to get immunized. “It’s more of a security for our life,” he says.

Agência Brasil