Coronavirus

São Paulo state announces “new vaccination cycle” in January 2022

The Butantan institute delivers another 1 million Covid-19 vaccines to the Health Ministry
The Butantan institute delivers another 1 million Covid-19 vaccines to the Health Ministry. Photo: Governo do Estado de São Paulo

As it begins to immunize citizens aged between 34 and 30 years old this week, state health authorities in São Paulo announced they will restart their coronavirus vaccination cycle on January 17, 2022, exactly one year after the state administered Brazil’s very first Covid-19 jab.

The plan is not to administer annual booster jabs, instead, the state will re-vaccinate its entire population once again and continue to do so on a yearly basis. “We’re following the protocol for other respiratory viruses, such as influenza, which requires yearly vaccination,” declared state health secretary Jean Gorinchteyn.

The announcement was made this morning, during a ceremony for the delivery of 1 million doses of Coronavac vaccines — manufactured in São Paulo — to the Health Ministry.

It is believed that next year’s vaccination cycle will be based on a fully Brazilian immunizer, Butanvac, currently being developed by São Paulo’s Butantan Institute. Mr. Gorinchteyn says the state already has 20 million doses of Butanvac in stock, ready to use as soon as it receives approval from health regulator Anvisa.