Over 19 million Brazilians have taken Covid booster shots

Once supplies became more readily available, Brazil’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage skyrocketed in the second half of 2021. According to a data portal combining vaccination figures from the country’s state health authorities, 64.8 percent of the Brazilian population have either taken two shots of coronavirus vaccine or the single-dose Janssen immunizer. Over three-quarters have taken at least one jab.

Now, the attention turns toward administering third “booster” doses, amid concerns of the new Omicron coronavirus variant and suggestions that initial vaccination coverage may wear off six months after second doses. As things stand, 19.29 million Brazilians have received a third dose — some 9 percent of the overall population.

On a state-by-state basis, São Paulo leads the way in Brazil, with 81.7 percent having received at least one dose, 76.7 percent fully immunized, and 12.8 percent taking a booster dose. In the city of São Paulo, 100 percent of the adult population has taken at least two vaccine shots.

On the opposite end of the scale is the northern state of Amapá, which has fully vaccinated only 38.8 percent of its inhabitants. Nevertheless, this represents a higher immunization rate than countries such as Indonesia, India, and South Africa. 

• #vaccine