Society

Serrana mass vaccination trial a rousing success

Researchers administered coronavirus vaccination to 95 percent of the adult population in the small city of Serrana. Covid-19 deaths have plummeted and the town is returning to normal

serrana Mass vaccination trial success
Health official preparing vaccine dose. Photo: Joa Souza/Shutterstock

In May, The Brazilian Report told the story of the small São Paulo city of Serrana, where researchers carried out the mass vaccination of its 46,000 inhabitants. On Monday, state health authorities released the full results of the pilot project, showing effects that could have been repeated nationwide had the country’s immunization program not faced such severe delays.

With 95 percent of Serrana’s adult population now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, deaths related to Covid-19 have fallen by 95 percent.

Chosen for the mass vaccination study due to its high levels of community transmission, all Serrana residents over the age of 18 were offered two doses of the Chinese-made CoronaVac vaccine, manufactured in partnership with the Butantan Biological Institute, linked to the São Paulo state government.

Entitled “Project S,” the vaccination campaign followed scientific criteria, separating the city into 25 areas and four macro-groups. Each group was vaccinated in turn at one-week intervals. 

While vaccination was still underway, Serrana saw an increase in new Covid-19 cases. This changed at the end of March, when two of the four macro-groups were given their second doses of CoronaVac.

By mid-April, Serrana was already reaping the...

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