RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Is pharmacovigilance at a moment of prominence for science, and in relation to governments' responsibilities towards their nations, as the new coronavirus pandemic has surprised everyone in a negative and lethal way? OBJECTIVE: Evaluate pharmacovigilance as a resource for controlling and understanding adverse events caused by vaccines in use. METHODS: This is a narrative review of the literature. Scientific articles available in databases, government bulletins and similar bodies were used. The search was carried out using the descriptors: "Pharmacovigilance AND COVID-19 in Brazil", "Vaccine Development AND COVID-19", "Vaccination Hesitancy AND COVID-19", "Public Health Surveillance AND COVID-19". The period from May 2021 to June 2022 was covered. RESULTS: The occurrence of some adverse events was observed, including cases of allergy, myocarditis and rheumatoid arthritis. It is important to highlight that these adverse events were identified as rare, occurring in a small percentage of the vaccinated population. Despite these adverse events, the benefits of vaccines proved to be essential for controlling the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The information presented highlights the importance of pharmacovigilance to continuously monitor and evaluate the safety of vaccines, identifying any potential adverse events early. This balance between risk and benefit emphasizes the need for a careful and informed approach when making decisions about vaccination policies, prioritizing public health and population safety.
RESUMEN
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been fortified by the positive effects of immunization: data from official government organizations and communication channels show that infection rates, hospitalizations, and deaths have continued to fall since its implementation. In Brazil, the effective and free National Vaccination Program has failed to prioritize patients with rare diseases, who have extreme comorbidities, and who adhere to the calendar prepared by the government. The question is why these "rare people" were not considered priorities during the vaccination program. This study aims to understand the reasoning behind this decision and to resume the debate around the rights of patients with rare diseases based on regular descriptors issued by official government agencies and by critics of rare disease issues in scientific articles. The objectives of this study were as follows: to analyze the dispensed care of rare disease patients in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign; to identify the procedures implemented by the National Vaccination Plan for the Brazilian population over 18 years of age and to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan implemented from the perspective of a "rare person".
