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       COVID-19 vaccine to be included in Brazilian Immunization Program
        
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       As of 2024, the COVID-19 vaccine will become an integral part of the
       Brazilian National Immunization Program (PNI). This decision aligns
       with the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation to
       administer an annual dose of the vaccine.
        
       "During the pandemic, a separate program was established to distribute
       the COVID-19 vaccine outside of our national program. This year, we
       are integrating this vaccine into the National Immunization Program,"
       explained Ethel Maciel, the Secretary for Health and Environmental
       Surveillance at the Ministry of Health.
        
       The Ministry of Health advises states and municipalities to prioritize
       specific groups, including children aged 6 months to under 5 years,
       individuals at a higher risk of severe disease, such as the elderly
       and immunocompromised people, pregnant and postpartum women,
       healthcare providers, people with comorbidities, indigenous
       communities, riverine and quilombola populations, long-term care
       residents and staff, individuals with permanent disabilities,
       incarcerated individuals, adolescents and young people serving socio-
       educational measures, staff in the detention system, and homeless
       individuals.
        
       "In Brazil, we have slightly expanded the group compared to WHO's
       recommendations, which are more limited. In the 2024 campaign, we will
       maintain the same groups as in 2023," Secretary Maciel clarified.
        
       ## Other groups
        
       Vaccination strategy in 2024 will continue to prioritize these groups,
       and if there is a surplus of vaccines, they will be extended to other
       segments, as recommended by the Ministry of Health. "Our primary focus
       now, both globally and in Brazil, is to reduce the severity,
       hospitalization, and mortality related to the disease," Maciel added.
        
       ## Long COVID
        
       The Ministry of Health has also commissioned a national population-
       based study, involving around 33,000 participants, focusing on long
       COVID. "We are concerned about the lack of international or national
       estimates for creating public policies. The study, coordinated by
       Pedro Hallal, a researcher at the Federal University of Pelotas, is
       visiting people's homes to collect information about how many times
       they have had COVID, whether they have had symptoms, and whether those
       symptoms persist. Fieldwork begins at the end of November, and we
       expect to have data by year-end to guide our approach to long-term
       COVID in 2024," Secretary Maciel noted.
        
       Translation: Mário Nunes - Edition: Fernando Fraga
        
        
        
        
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