Wolney de Andrade Martins et al. Gláucia Maria Moraes de Oliveira Andréa Araujo Brandão Ricardo Mourilhe-Rocha … Evandro Tinoco Mesquita José Francisco Kerr Saraiva Fernando Bacal Marcelo Antônio Cartaxo Queiroga Lopes
The COVID-19 pandemic
The World Health Organization recognized COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Since then, this public health emergency has become the leading cause of death in the world and has made addressing it an unquestionable priority. At the time of writing this editorial, we counted 86 969 386 confirmed cases and 1 915 657 deaths from COVID-19 worldwide, of which, 8 013 708 cases in Brazil resulted in 201 460 deaths.According to projections by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME),Brazil will have 248 476 deaths from COVID-19 on April 4, 2021. By March 19, 2021, 242 738 [232 202 – 255 044] deaths are estimated, and those numbers could be reduced to 241 668 [231 337 – 253 770], with the quick administration of vaccines, and to 223 910 [215 565 – 233 360], with a 95% level of face mask use in public. The magnitude of the number of cases and deaths from a single disease in such a short time is worrisome. Now, when there is a growth in the number of new cases and hospitalizations, starting to vaccinate will have an impact on reducing deaths and hospitalizations in a short interval. Despite the efforts of the scientific community, there is no specific treatment to block viral replication. In this sense, vaccination programs are powerful allies. In addition, due to the remarkable progress of science, we already have this resource.
Brazil, through its Unified Health System (SUS), has been known for the successful implementation of vaccination programs for its population. The institution of a public policy to vaccinate within the SUS principles, which are universality, integrality, and equity, is urgent. However, because of the antivaccine movements that have emerged worldwide, a strong effort to obtain the population’s adhesion is required. In the past, in the Vaccine Revolt experienced by Oswaldo Cruz, we have successfully faced that disbelief. Let us be inspired by that episode to overcome this serious health crisis.
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