Bucking the world trend, Brazil showed a decline in the acceptance of vaccination against Covid in the last year.
Globally, the desire to get vaccinated against Covid increased by an average of 5.2%, from 75.2% in 2021 to 79.1% in 2022, according to a survey in 23 countries by the Global Institute of Barcelona Health (ISGlobal). .
In Brazil, the number of respondents who said they agreed to vaccination decreased by 3.3% compared to 2021, from 90.5% in 2021 to 87.2%. Despite this, with two doses, Brazil maintains a high vaccination coverage (nearly 81% by last day 6).
Besides Brazil, the other countries that saw a decrease in the uptake of vaccination against Covid were the United Kingdom (1%), China (1%), Turkey (2.7%), Kenya (8.5 %) and Mexico (9.4%), Ghana (13.8%) and South Africa (21.1%).
The study, titled “A survey of Covid19 vaccine uptake in 23 countries in 2022,” was published this Monday (9) in the journal Nature Medicine. In addition to ISGlobal, scientists from the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the City University of NY (Cuny) in New York and the Institute of Metrics and Health Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington are participating, among others.
The survey data was collected from June 29 to July 10, 2022 in 23 countries. 1,000 participants aged 18 and over were interviewed in each country, for a total of 23,000 participants. Of these, 50.3% were women and 45.6% said they had an average monthly income that was higher than the country’s per capita income.
Countries were selected according to the global burden of morbidity and mortality from Covid in the first year of the pandemic, and surveys were conducted to assess vaccine uptake in 2020 and 2021.
The study also evaluated the vaccine’s acceptability among parents of children and adolescents under the age of 18, including parents who received at least one dose.
Brazil had a high rate of parents afraid to vaccinate their children, with hesitation increasing by 56.3% from 2021 to 2022 (from 8.7% to 13.6%). However, when looking at those who received at least one dose, that rate is 5.4%.
Regarding booster doses, the study found less hesitation in low and middleincome countries compared to higherincome countries. In Brazil, just 3.6% of respondents said they are reluctant to receive Covid boosters, ranking third among those who most believe in immunization boosters. Russia (28.9%), France (26.1%), South Africa (18.9%) and Canada (17.6%) have the highest rates of procrastination.
Despite the contradiction, Brazil still has around a hundred million people who have sought no or multiple Covid fortifications, according to a notice released by the Ministry of Health last week.
According to the National Health Data Network (RNDS) released by the folder, 69 million Brazilians are still overdue for the third dose (or first booster) of the vaccine, and another 30 million who may already be receiving the fourth dose ( or second amplifier) not.
According to the ISGlobal study, about oneeighth (12.1%) of participants who reported being vaccinated were reluctant to take additional doses. This may show an initial positive intent towards vaccination against Covid, particularly in 2020 and 2021, but a decline in global confidence in immunizers with the need for new boosters and the emergence of new variants. The results confirm other research that has suggested lower educational attainment and lower income as factors associated with vaccine hesitancy.
Another worrying finding from the survey is that despite contraindications from the WHO (World Health Organization) and other health authorities for treating Covid, 27% of participants who reported having been infected in the last year said they had started treatment with ivermectin the first signs of symptoms. In Brazil, the data is even more alarming: 79.5% of those who reported taking medication to treat Covid used ivermectin.
With cases rising in recent weeks in countries like China, the United States and Europe, researchers are warning of a reduction in searches for reliable Covid information over the last year. According to the survey, nearly twothirds (38.6%) of respondents said they pay less attention to coronavirusrelated news now than they did last year.
The survey researchers released a letter last November detailing the main medical consensus for Covid and how they can help guide the decision.
According to ISGlobal survey coordinator Jeffrey Lazarus, understanding the implications on the ground is necessary to combat vaccine hesitancy in any country. “There is a perception that the pandemic is over because Covid is not as deadly as it used to be, partly because people are vaccinated. This is a huge mistake as it ignores the postCovid reality affecting millions around the world,” he explained.
Nevertheless, according to the researcher, there is a connection between the statements made by the authorities and the willingness of the population to vaccinate. “This happened in part of the population with the contrasting speeches of former President Donald Trump in the US and Bolsonaro in Brazil. With the return of Lula [à presidência]I hope that the uptake of vaccinations will increase and that they will also become more accessible and reach marginalized populations that were not targeted by the previous government,” he adds.