Coronavirus

Over-50s to be offered fourth Covid vaccine throughout Brazil

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Photo: Nelson Antoine / Shutterstock

Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga announced on Thursday that over-50s will now be eligible for a fourth Covid vaccine. Until now, the federal government was only offering a second booster jab to over-60s and immunosuppressed people.

“We have vaccines. The federal government is prepared for this,” Mr. Queiroga told reporters as he announced the measure in Brasília. The Health Ministry is expected to publish a technical note on Friday confirming the details of the measure.

In practice, certain states and municipalities have already started offering a fourth vaccine to the over-50s, based on local stock and vaccination rates. At the national level, almost 80 percent of the Brazilian population is fully vaccinated against Covid and some 45 percent have had their first booster.Brazil has seen a rise in Covid cases in recent weeks, leading some authorities to recommend the use of face masks indoors again, with scientists speaking of the beginning of a fourth wave of infections.