The Brazilian provincial town of Serrana, in the state of São Paulo, is world news in one fell swoop. All adult residents who wish to do so will be vaccinated from today. In the coming weeks, they will be given two doses of the CoronaVac virus, the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinovac.
The mass vaccination is a unique scientific study called ‘Project S’, with the ‘S’ of Serrana.
“Until now, there have only been tests of vaccines, looking at whether they are effective at an individual level. Now we will look at what happens if you vaccinate the entire population,” said Natasha Nicos Ferreira, one of the coordinators of ‘Project. S ‘. The infectiologist is affiliated with the local hospital and radiates pride. “As far as we know, this has never happened before,” she says.
Watch the report that Marc Bessems made about Project S here:
The scientists want to investigate, among other things, whether group immunity is achieved, and how quickly this goes. “You can of course look at a place where many people have already been vaccinated,” says Nicos. “Israel, for example, has come a long way. But millions of people have been vaccinated there, and it’s difficult to keep an eye on such a large group.”
Spread
Also, many older people in Israel have already had the vaccine, she says. “We vaccinate everyone in a short time, regardless of age, and we keep a close eye on all those thousands of people. Because everyone lives in one place, we think we can learn a lot about the effect of vaccination on the spread of the virus.”
Most of the inhabitants of Serrana are enthusiastic. Compared to comparable areas in the region, the town was hit hard by the corona virus. “I am really relieved that we don’t have to wait so long to get vaccinated,” says a mother holding her child. In the rest of Brazil, people like her in their thirties are nowhere near their turn for vaccination.
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We received four times as many calls as normal. Those people didn’t want a house, but a vaccine.
When the news about ‘Project S’ came out, the phone at real estate agent Isabella Almeida Meghelli was ringing off the hook. “We got four times as many calls as normal,” she says. People from other municipalities and states were looking for a home in Serrana, hoping to be able to participate in the mass vaccination as a resident of the town. “Those people didn’t want a house, but a vaccine,” she says. When it became clear that a temporary lease did not entitle you to an injection, most potential customers did not speak up again. “It took a lot of extra work, and we didn’t earn anything from it,” she sighs.
In the center of Serrana most shops are closed due to the pandemic and the carnival holiday. At the Skoda restaurant, people are waiting in line for a takeaway. “I’m a big supporter of mass vaccination,” said Ricardo, one of the restaurant’s owners. The party room behind the collection desk is deserted. “Our hope is that thanks to ‘Project S’ we can quickly open our business again,” he says.
‘Serious side effects’, according to Bolsonaro
The enthusiasm for mass vaccination in Serrana is also an important indicator of the confidence that Brazilians have in the vaccines. President Bolsonaro has for months been criticizing the CoronaVac vaccine, which was brought to Brazil by his major political rival. He announced that he would not be vaccinated and suggested that vaccines could cause serious side effects.
In the kitchen of the Skoda restaurant, Ricardo’s partner, Rafael de Jesus Romancini, is stirring a large pan of beans. He also does not intend to be vaccinated. “I’m afraid we’re just an experiment, guinea pigs.” Rafael prefers to wait, but his wife winks and says she has given him up for vaccination.
More people did that. It appears that almost all of Serrana’s 30,000 adults are participating in ‘Project S’. The last shot will be on March 10, and results may be expected as early as May.