• Highlights

• By the first quarter of 2023, 88.2% of the population aged 5 and over had taken at least two doses of theCOVID-19 vaccine, that is, they had completed the primary vaccination schedule. This rate was 71.2% for people aged 5 to 17 and 92.3% for people aged 18 and over.
• Furthermore, 14.8% of children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 had not taken any doses of the vaccine by the time of the survey, a percentage that is 3.4% for adults aged 18 or over.
• The main reasons given for not taking all the recommended doses were “forgetfulness or lack of time” (29.2%), followed by “they do not think it’s necessary, they took the doses they wanted and/or they don’t trust the vaccine” (25, 5%), which, together, represented 54.7% of the group.
• Regarding people who did not take any dose of the vaccine, among children and adolescents, fear of an adverse reaction (39.4%) was the main reason and, among adults, 36.0% “not trusting or believing the vaccine ”.
• Considering the population aged 5 and over, 27.4% had COVID-19 confirmed by test or medical diagnosis. When the self-perception option is included, the total number of people who have had or consider that they have had COVID rises to 34.3%.
• For the total number of people who had COVID-19 or consider having developed it, the vast majority had the disease once (67.2%), while 31.4%, twice or more.
• Among those who had or believe they had the disease, 89.7% had symptoms for the first time, or once, while 10.0% were asymptomatic. Additionally, 4.2% of people who had or believe they had COVID-19, in addition to showing symptoms, needed to be hospitalized.
• Among people with symptoms who had not taken any doses of the vaccine when they had COVID-19, considering the first (or only) infection, 5.1% needed to be hospitalized; among those who had taken one dose, 3.9% needed to be hospitalized; and among those who had taken two doses or more, 2.5% needed to be hospitalized.
• Among people who have had or believe they have had COVID, 23.0% reported that symptoms persisted or appeared after 30 days, a higher percentage among adults aged 18 or over (24.7%) than among children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years (7.3%).

By the first quarter of 2023, 88.2% of the population aged 5 and over had taken at least two doses of the vaccine against Covid-19, that is, they had completed the primary vaccination schedule against the disease. Among people aged 18 or over, 92.3% took two doses or more, while for the population aged 5 to 17 this percentage was 71.2%. Furthermore, 3.4% of adults aged 18 or over had not taken any doses of the vaccine by the time of the survey, a percentage that rises to 14.8% among children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years.

The data are from the COVID-19 module of the Continuous National Household Sample Survey - Continuous PNAD, carried out in agreement with the Ministry of Health and released today (24) by the IBGE.

Rosa Dória, survey analyst, highlights that “the questionnaire was prepared in the first half of 2022 and based on the vaccination and testing guidelines in force at the time, being administered in the first quarter of 2023 for people aged 5 and over, a population whose vaccination had been authorized until then”.  

93.9% of Brazilians took at least one dose of the vaccine

In the first quarter of 2023, 93.9% of the population aged 5 and over (188.3 million people) had taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Among men, 93.0% (90.8 million) had taken at least one dose, a percentage that rises to 94.8% among women (97.5 million).

In urban areas, 94.2% (164.2 million) of the people aged 5 or over took at least one dose of some immunizer against COVID-19, while in rural areas this percentage was 92.3% (24.1 million). The Southeast, the most populous region in Brazil, recorded the highest proportion of people aged 5 or over with at least one dose of the vaccine (95.9%), followed by the Northeast (94.0%); South (93.1%); Central-West (91.0%); and North (88.2%).

More than half of vaccinated people had taken all recommended doses by the first quarter of 2023

Among people aged 5 or over who took a dose of vaccine against the disease, more than half (58.6%) said they had taken all doses recommended for them by the first quarter of 2023, with a higher proportion among residents of urban areas (59.5%) than among residents of rural areas (51.8%) and a higher proportion among women (60.4%) than among men (56.5%).

In the analysis by Major Regions, the Southeast stands out again with the highest percentage of people vaccinated with the recommended doses (64.5%). The South, Central-West and Northeast regions presented very similar percentages (respectively, 56.9%, 55.4% and 55.2%). On the other hand, only 43.8% of people in this age group in the North Region took the recommended number of doses, with this percentage being even lower in rural areas (37.9%).

In relation to age group, the percentages of people aged 5 to 17 and aged 18 and over who took all recommended doses were similar in the Southeast Region; higher among adults in the North and Northeast regions; and higher among children and adolescents in the South and Central-West regions.

More than half of people who did not take all the recommended doses claim lack of time, forgetfulness or that all doses were not necessary

The survey also investigated the reasons why 38.6% of people aged 5 or over who started the vaccination schedule had not taken all the recommended doses. The main reasons given were “forgetfulness or lack of time” (29.2%), followed by “they do not thinkt it  is necessary; they took the doses they wanted; and/or they don’t trust the vaccine” (25.5%), which, together , represented 54.7% of the group in question. Motivations such as “waiting or have not completed the interval to take the next dose” (17.5%) and “fear of an adverse reaction or had a strong reaction to a previous dose” (16.5%) were also common.

84.3% of vaccinated children and adolescents took at least two doses of the vaccine

Among people aged 5 to 17 years old vaccinated against COVID-19, 84.3% had taken at least two doses of the vaccine by the first quarter of 2023, with the complete primary vaccination schedule being the most common: 50.5% had two doses and 33.8% had 3 doses or more.

Almost 77% of vaccinated adults took three doses or more of the vaccine

Among adults, the vaccination schedule with some booster dose proved to be the majority, with 76.9% of people aged 18 or over having received at least three doses of the vaccine against COVID-19. This percentage varied depending on the Major Region: 64.5% in the North; 67.0% in the Central-West; 73.4% in the South; 78.5% in the Northeast; and 81.2% in the Southeast. “It is worth highlighting that the immunization of adults began with the elderly and priority groups. Because of this, many people who followed the vaccination recommendations at the appropriate time had already received four or more doses by the first quarter of 2023, reaching 42.4% of adults”, highlights the survey analyst.

The percentage of unvaccinated people was higher among children and adolescents

People who had not been vaccinated by the time of the survey represented 5.6% of the population aged 5 and over. The youngest group had a higher proportion of unvaccinated people: 14.8% of the total number of children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years. This percentage was higher in the North and Central-West regions, with 23.0% and 22.4%, respectively. Among adults, 3.4% of them were not vaccinated, a proportion that reached 7.4% in the North Region.

Fear of adverse reactions or of needles was the main reason for not taking the vaccine

Among people aged 5 or over who were not vaccinated by the first quarter of 2023, more than a third (33.7%) claimed to be “afraid of an adverse reaction or of needles”, 26.3% said “not trusting or not believing the vaccine”, 24.2% claimed that “they do not think it is necessary, or that they believe in immunity and/or they had already had COVID” and 5.1% mentioned reasons of “recommendation by a health professional”.

Among children and adolescents, “fear of an adverse reaction or of needles” corresponded to the highest percentage (39.4%), followed by “not considering necessary, believing in immunity and/or having already had COVID” (21.7%) and “not trusting or believing in the vaccine” (16.9%). “In the case of children and adolescents, it is possible that this decision was made by their parents or guardians”, highlights Ms. Dória.

Among adults, the most given reason was “not trusting or believing in the vaccine” (36.0%). The following allegations were also important: “fear of an adverse reaction or needles” (27.8%) and “not thinking it is necessary, believing in immunity and/or having already had COVID” (26.7%).

27.4% of the population aged 5 and over had COVID-19 confirmed by test or medical diagnosis

It is estimated that 55 million people had COVID-19 confirmed at least once by a test or medical diagnosis by the first quarter of 2023. This means a percentage of 27.4% of the population aged 5 and over in the Brazil, with a higher proportion of women (29.1%) than men (25.7%).

“We ask people if they had COVID-19 using three questions: whether they had a positive test, either PCR or antigen; if they received a medical diagnosis of the disease, without having it confirmed by testing, which happened more at the beginning of the pandemic in situations where there was a shortage of tests; and if they consider that they had COVID, due to self-perception, since, for example, they may not have had access to or sought testing or health care, but believes that they had the disease”, explains Ms. Dória.

When the self-perception option is included, by asking if the person considers that they had COVID-19 on any occasion when there was no confirmation by test or medical diagnosis, the total number of people who had or consider that they had COVID rises to 34.3%.

Also for the total number of people who had confirmed COVID-19 or considered to have had it, the number of times this occurred was asked. It is observed that the vast majority had the disease once (67.2%), while 31.4% had it twice or more.

In the urban area, the percentage of people who developed the disease twice or more (31.9%) was higher than that observed in the rural area (26.6%). Among the regions, the Central-West (35.6%) and the North (33.0%) had the highest percentages of people who had the disease twice or more, and the Northeast, in turn, recorded the highest proportion of people who had it only once (70.6%).

Percentage of hospitalized patients due to COVID-19 was higher among those not vaccinated

For those who had or believe they had COVID-19, they were also asked about the occurrence of symptoms the first, or only, time they had the disease: 89.7% had symptoms, while 10.0% were asymptomatic. Additionally, 4.2% of people who had or believe they had COVID-19, in addition to showing symptoms, needed to be hospitalized.

“It is also possible to relate the occurrence of hospitalization with vaccination, as the objective of immunization is protection against the severe form of the disease. In this sense, it appears that, among those not vaccinated, the percentage of hospitalized patients was higher than among those vaccinated”, points out the analyst.

Among people who had not taken any doses of the vaccine when they had or consider having had COVID-19 for the first or only time, 5.1% needed to be hospitalized; among those who had taken one dose, 3.9% needed to be hospitalized; and among those who had taken two doses or more, 2.5% needed to be hospitalized.

One in 4 adults who had COVID reported still having symptoms after 30 days

Among people who had or consider that they had COVID, 23.0% reported the persistence or emergence of symptoms after 30 days, a higher percentage among adults aged 18 and over (24.7%) than among children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years (7.3%)

Among the symptoms mentioned, tiredness/fatigue was the most frequent (39.1%), followed by loss/change in smell and taste (28.8%); pain in the body, muscles (myalgia) or joints (28.3%); and memory/attention problems or speech difficulties (27.1%).

More about the survey

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics - IBGE, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, addressed the issue of COVID-19 in the Continuous National Household Sample Survey - Continuous PNAD, in the first quarter of 2023. To this end, a supplementary module of questions was included in the questionnaire of the survey and applied to all residents aged 5 and over in the household to investigate aspects related to the disease, including vaccination, the occurrence of infection and the persistence of its symptoms. The indicators are presented by age groups and sex, for the entire country, Major Regions, including, in some cases, breakdowns according to urban and rural areas and by Federation Units.