Brazil seeks a safe and effective vaccine, according to the Ministry of Health

For the secretary, the suspension in the tests of the Oxford vaccine is a necessary safety procedure. According to Anvisa, in Brazil, there are no reports of serious adverse events in study volunteers

Brazil is one of the countries participating in the global study for vaccine against Covid-19 - Photo: Agência Brasil

Sep 9, Health and Health Surveillance, Brazil: The contracts between Fiocruz and AstraZeneca on the Oxford vaccine against Covid-19 will not be changed. The statement was made by the executive secretary of the Ministry of Health, Elcio Franco, commenting, this Wednesday (9), in a press conference, the temporary suspension of tests.

“In addition to the memorandum of understanding, the technological order agreement has already been signed electronically between AstraZeneca, in England, and by Brazil, at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. It is too early to make any claims about failures. The event that occurred is natural and needs to be investigated, ”he said.

According to the secretary, the suspension of the tests is a necessary safety procedure to certify the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. And he stated that the safety of the Brazilian population is a priority of the Federal Government. “We are not looking for just a vaccine against Covid-19. We seek and are investing in a safe vaccine, effective in quality and quantity necessary to immunize all Brazilians, ”he said.

“The Federal Government and the Ministry of Health have a role to save lives. And we are working tirelessly for this. Brazil is also monitoring the development of other vaccines, via Instituto Butantã and the Paraná Institute of Technology. We will do what is best and safest for Brazil so that we have a safe and effective vaccine, in quantity and in a timely manner to immunize our population ”, he added.

The secretary also said that the Federal Government still does not know how to assess the impact on the vaccine production schedule due to the suspension of tests, but said that this vaccine remains the most viable solution for immunizing the population. "You have to wait and evaluate," he added.

Elcio Franco recalled that Brazil provided resources of around R $ 2 billion for the acquisition and production of the Oxford vaccine; and said that the risk of buying a vaccine in advance is inherent to the situation, not only for Brazil but for any country in the world. “Several countries are investing in the promise of a safe vaccine in advance, under penalty of not having access to immunization when it is proven. Therefore, it is a measured and necessary risk from a clinical and technological point of view ”, he said.

Suspension of Oxford vaccine testing

Brazil is one of the countries participating in the global study for a vaccine against Covid-19. The tests were temporarily suspended after an adverse reaction in a UK patient.

In Brazil, there are no reports of serious adverse events in volunteers, according to the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).

The agency said it had received a statement suspending testing of the Oxford vaccine against Covid-19, produced by the AstraZeneca laboratory. And who is in contact with the laboratory to access all the information and talk to other drug authorities in the world.

Anvisa explained that the stoppage of the tests aims to verify whether, in fact, the unexpected effect is related to the vaccine applied. And that this type of procedure is foreseen in the development of vaccines since these studies have precisely the objective of confirming the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Oxford Vaccine

The Oxford vaccine is in the third and final phase of testing in humans. It is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the most promising projects to date. If it proves to be effective and safe, it should start to be produced here in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Health, later this year; and distributed to the population at the beginning of 2021, to the priority public. In Brazil, clinical trials of the vaccine are being carried out in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador, in partnership with Fiocruz.

Mental health research of health professionals

The results of the first phase of the “Influence of Covid-19 on Mental Health of Health Professionals” survey, conducted by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Federal University of Minas Gerais and the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry, were also released on Wednesday. The first stage was held in May and June. Three more steps will be conducted.

The research reveals, for example, from the point of view of psychological health, that positive and negative feelings and self-esteem of professionals are evaluated, 76% of the sample of “O Brasil Conta Comigo” report good or very good levels and only 1, 1% perceive the need to improve this aspect of quality of life. Another data, based on the Brief Symptom Inventory, shows that 7% reported previous psychiatric diagnoses, with depression being the most frequent.

According to the Ministry of Health, the results of the research will be used to outline public policies to better care for professionals in the Unified Health System.

Health and Evidence Project

The Ministry of Health reinforced the importance of taking care of the Brazilian's mental health, especially in this moment of social isolation. To this end, there is the Health and Evidence project , which aims to offer scientific content from areas of specialization in health in a virtual environment.

The first stage of the project focuses on mental health, through the publication of scientific documents prepared by the Brazilian Psychiatric Association.

Covid-19 data in Brazil

Brazil already has 3,453,336 recovered from Covid-19. The number of people cured is higher than the number of active cases, which are patients under medical supervision (616,014). So far, the country has registered 4,197,889 infected by the disease and 128,539 deaths. The information was updated on Wednesday (9) by the Ministry of Health.