Rio has 80% of population fully immunized against COVID-19

RIO DE JANEIRO. KAZINFORM - The city of Rio de Janeiro has reached the mark of 80 percent of the population fully immunized against COVID-19. As per official figures updated today (Dec, 22), 80.1 percent of the city’s population have received the two doses or the single dose of the inoculation. Of those aged 12 or over, immunization now stands at 93.5 percent, Agencia Brasil reports.

«If you still haven’t taken the shot, for God’s sake, please just go for it! There’s no time to waste. We’ve reached 80 percent, and we here at the city hall are beaming with pride of our city and its people,» a tweet posted by the city hall reads.

Taking into account how vaccination is linked to other factors—including hospitalization and case tallies—the Special Committee Against COVID-19 (CEEC), tasked with advising Rio’s health authorities, decided not to impose restrictions on Carnival festivities in the city. In 2022, celebrations will therefore be held on February 26th, 27th, and 28th, and Tuesday, March 1st.

Also on Twitter, Mayor Eduardo Paes said the decision is based on the current scenario. «Let’s keep our eyes open,» he said. If no changes are seen, the mayor said on December 15th, at least the samba school parades at the Sambadrome are guaranteed.

Omicron in Rio

This week, Rio confirmed the first imported case of the Omicron variant, which spreads more easily than the original Sars-CoV-2 virus and variants such as Delta. Across the world, the variant has been spreading and causing restrictive measures to be reintroduced.

«We have a new variant coming to the city and the last thing we want is to see the high case tally we had at the end of last year again. Let’s stay away from gatherings, leave the windows open whenever possible, and keep our masks on, especially indoors,» the city hall warned on Twitter.

Under the official calendar, fully immunized people aged 56 and older should take the booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine this week.

Those aged 18 and over who have taken the second dose about five months ago should also take the booster dose. Anyone wishing to receive it earlier due to health problems, travel, or other personal issues, may also visit a health station. As it stands today, the minimum interval is three months.