By Andrea Hargraves 
07/11/2021 7:00 AM – By the Government of Brazil
The Ministry of Health has issued new guidelines on immunizing pregnant and postpartum women against COVID-19. The volume resumes the recommendation to vaccinate pregnant women with comorbidities from 18 years of age onwards.
More than 2.5 million women are expected to be served at this stage of immunization.
The volume also advised that immunizing agents applied to pregnant women be Pfizer and CoronaVac, which do not contain a viral vector.
Those from AstraZeneca and Janssen are excluded from vaccinating pregnant and postpartum women precisely because they use the viral vector.
The Ministry also stressed that the doses of different vaccines should not be combined in immunization.
Health Minister Marcelo Quiroga stressed that pregnant women who have been vaccinated with the first dose of AstraZeneca should take the second dose of the same vaccine after the postpartum period, which is a period of up to 45 days after giving birth.
“We know that a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine protects so well that those who have already taken the vaccine are protected.”
The Ministry of Health had already included pregnant and postpartum women in the National Immunization Program (PNI) in April of this year, however, in May, it advised the temporary suspension of vaccination of pregnant women without comorbidities.
The Minister of Health, Marcelo Quiroga, explained that the release was made after technical analyzes, discussions with researchers and assessment of epidemiological data.
The data presented show that the death rate from the Covid-19 virus among pregnant women in Brazil is about 10%, while that of the general population is 2%.
“There has been an understanding to return to vaccination in pregnant women who have no comorbidities. There is no reason to suspend vaccination, even because pregnant women who do not know they are pregnant, are receiving vaccinations and have a disease progression and that would be beneficial for them as well.
Therefore, the PNI understood that we had to include it again,” Quiroga explained.
Seller Bruna Lopez, 25, is 27 weeks pregnant and thinks getting the vaccine brings more safety for pregnant women who need to leave the house every day for work.
“I was very calm to know that pregnant women without comorbidities could be vaccinated.
In addition to being quiet, it gave me more security because I was working. My son and I will both be immunized and we will be able to work with peace of mind now.”
Unauthorized combination of vaccines
The Minister of Health, Marcelo Quiroga, has stated that the exchange of vaccines in pregnant women is not recommended.
That is, the orientation is to take the first and second doses of the same immunizing agent. “It is not recommended, there is no scientific evidence about the interchangeability of vaccines in pregnant women. Therefore, we will maintain the National Immunization Program guidance.”
According to him, the combination of vaccinations is not authorized in any audience. “The possibility of an exchange has not yet been announced.
It is still the subject of study.
The first dose is guaranteed
Psychologist Livia Romero lives in Fortaleza (CE), and is among pregnant women who have already had their first dose of the vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
“I was vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as I completed 12 weeks of pregnancy. On the advice of my obstetrician, we have decided to wait for this period.”
“I was not afraid of vaccination during this period. My biggest fear was always contracting the virus while pregnant because of the risks of contracting the most dangerous form of the disease for a pregnant woman.
“I am very happy with my vaccination and I am anxiously awaiting the second dose,” he said.
vaccination
The Department of Health has already distributed about 144 million doses of vaccine to states and the federal district. Almost 500,000 pregnant and postpartum women with comorbidities have already been immunized.
More than 81.1 million Brazilians have already received the first dose, which is about 50% of the vaccinable population (160 million Brazilians over the age of 18).
The government hopes everyone will receive at least their first dose by September.