Proinde

Last Sunday (17 January), the board of ANVISA unanimously approved emergency use of CoronaVac vaccine, from China’s Sinovac Biotech in partnership with Brazil’s biologic research centre Instituto Butantan. On the same day, the Brazilian health regulatory agency also endorsed the Covishield vaccine, developed by the UK’s AstraZeneca and Oxford University with the support of Brazil’s Oswaldo Cruz Foundation – FIOCRUZ.

Minutes after ANVISA’s approval of both vaccines, a nurse from Sao Paulo received a shot of CoronaVac becoming the first person to be inoculated against the COVID-19 in Brazil and kicking off the national immunisation program.

Since they are considered providers of essential services for country’s development of the country, transport professionals were included in the priority group in the vaccination campaign launched by the Ministry of Health, which technical report describes the recommendations for the vaccination and lists the priority groups, which include:

Port workers (including port and terminal employees in administrative areas)
Employees of Brazilian shipping companies
Airport workers (including airline employees)
Public transport workers (train and bus drivers and conductors)
Cargo truck drivers

Those in the priority list will need to produce documentary evidence of their profession and functions to be eligible for inoculation.

Apart from the above groups, the vaccination campaign commenced on 18 January with health workers, people aged 60 or older, indigenous people, care homes, asylums, shelters and penitentiaries, riverside and quilombola populations and people with disabilities or morbidities, among other groups.

Although Brazil has recognised seafarers as key workers, the National Plan for Operationalisation of Vaccination Against COVID-19 does not state whether foreign crewmembers will be included in the immunisation program. The national shipping industry is demanding that ANVISA prioritise these workers as well.