A Small Brazilian Town Is Beating Covid-19 Through a Unique Experiment
Serrana starts to return to normal as the pandemic continues to rage across the rest of the country
Not everyone in the town was eligible, including minors under 18, adult women who are pregnant or nursing, and others with serious health problems. Of the roughly 27,700 eligible adults, 27,150, or 98%, were vaccinated, according to town officials.
Town officials and residents said they are thrilled with the results so far. Infections are down 75% from a March peak in Serrana, while there have been no deaths from Covid-19 among the people who were fully vaccinated, suggesting CoronaVac is also effective against the aggressive P.1 variant sweeping the region.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Serrana’s mayor, Léo Capitelli. “It worked!”
In the waiting room of the town’s intensive-care unit, the effects of CoronaVac are already visible. “Only three weeks ago, this was so full, people had to stand,” said Lucia Elaine Caldano, the unit’s administrator, pointing to rows of empty chairs. In the past three weeks, only one person has been put on a ventilator—a woman who had refused to take the vaccine.
“There was a lot of fuss at the beginning, many people believed we were lab rats,” said Ms. Caldano. “But it’s been a blessing.”
It is a different story across Brazil, where 7% have been fully vaccinated. Almost a hundred are dying an hour from the disease, while thousands more languish in crowded hospitals.
