STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Pfizer, one of the three COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers currently authorized in the United States, will vaccinate everyone in the Brazilian city of Toledo over the age of 12 to study the real-world effectiveness of its vaccine, the New York Times reported.
The study will last one year, the report said, and the company will work with local health officials, a hospital, a university and the country’s national vaccination program to monitor transmission after all eligible residents have been vaccinated.
The New York Times reported about 98% of eligible residents in the city have already received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Pfizer plans to follow study participants for one year to better understand the duration of vaccine protection against the disease and emerging variants.
Brazil has among the highest COVID-19 fatality totals of any country, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University, with more than 600,000 deaths reported. Experts have cautioned, however, that known death totals likely undercount the actual number of COVID-19-related deaths.