São Paulo close to 60-percent vaccination threshold

Home to 22 percent of the Brazilian population, the state of São Paulo has managed to vaccinate almost 58 percent of its citizens with at least one dose of a coronavirus immunizer. Over one-fifth of the state’s residents are fully vaccinated.

As more and more people receive jabs, state authorities have greenlit the return of in-person classes at schools, though they are not mandatory for all establishments.

No other Brazilian state has been this prolific in rolling out vaccines. In comparison, the state of Amapá has given a first vaccine dose to only 34 percent of its population.

On a national level, full immunization has reached almost 20 percent of the population and almost half of Brazil has received at least one dose. Covid-19 deaths in the country have decreased, with the seven-day average of new daily casualties staying below the 1,000 mark for the past three days.

Widely circulating new coronavirus variants, persistent rollout hiccups, and the rise of so-called “vaccine sommeliers” (people who hop from vaccination site to vaccination site in order to get their preferred brand of immunizer) should keep the goal of “herd immunity” out of reach for the time being, however.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus is here to stay, but vaccinating the most vulnerable citizens may be enough to restore normality.

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