It takes pressure off the emergency units, which get packed with people who have the flu
Em Novo Hamburgo, no Brasil, uma cidade reconhece que o tempo é um bem escasso para quem trabalha longas jornadas — e que a saúde pública só alcança seu propósito quando se adapta à vida real das pessoas. Ao abrir o centro de vacinação nos sábados de junho, as autoridades locais buscam não apenas imunizar indivíduos, mas aliviar o peso coletivo que recai sobre as unidades de emergência quando a prevenção falha. É um gesto pequeno em escala, mas significativo em intenção: a saúde como serviço que vai ao encontro do cidadão, e não o contrário.
- As unidades de pronto-atendimento de Novo Hamburgo enfrentam superlotação recorrente durante a temporada de gripe, pressionando um sistema já sobrecarregado.
- Trabalhadores em turnos longos, como operários de fábricas, ficavam excluídos da campanha por não conseguirem comparecer nos horários convencionais de semana.
- A Casa da Vacina abriu quatro sábados consecutivos em junho, das 9h às 15h, criando uma janela acessível para quem não tem flexibilidade de horário.
- A campanha se expandiu ao público geral a partir de junho, mas grupos prioritários ainda não atingiram a meta de 90% de cobertura vacinal.
- Mitos persistentes — como a crença de que antibióticos ou álcool interferem na vacina — continuam sendo combatidos pelos coordenadores de saúde, que reforçam: apenas febre é contraindicação real.
Jorge dos Santos de Jesus trabalha em uma fábrica de calçados em Novo Hamburgo, entrando às sete da manhã e saindo às sete da noite. Em um sábado de junho, ele finalmente conseguiu se vacinar contra a gripe — algo impossível de fazer durante a semana. "Meu tempo é muito apertado", explicou. "Com esse horário, é complicado durante a semana."
A Casa da Vacina, na Rua Joaquim Nabuco, passou a abrir nas manhãs de sábado — das 9h às 15h — justamente para pessoas como ele. A iniciativa se estende pelos dias 13, 20 e 27 de junho, com um objetivo claro: reduzir a pressão sobre as unidades de pronto-atendimento. Quem se vacina tem menos chance de acabar em uma emergência, liberando espaço para quem realmente precisa.
Francine Tamine da Silva, assistente financeira de 32 anos, também aproveitou o sábado para levar o filho Heitor, de dois anos. Ela esperou ele se recuperar de uma febre antes de ir — e fez bem. Segundo Renata Reis Alves, coordenadora do centro, febre é a única contraindicação real. "As pessoas perguntam se antibióticos ou álcool interferem na vacina, mas são mitos", esclareceu. "O único impedimento técnico é a febre."
A campanha, que até o início de junho era restrita a grupos prioritários — gestantes, idosos e crianças de seis meses a seis anos —, foi aberta a toda a população a partir daquela semana. Ainda assim, as autoridades estaduais alertam que é preciso manter doses reservadas para os grupos vulneráveis, cuja meta de 90% de cobertura ainda não foi alcançada. Os sábados surgem, assim, como uma ferramenta para remover a barreira do tempo e aproximar a prevenção de quem mais precisa dela.
Jorge dos Santos de Jesus works in a shoe factory in Novo Hamburgo, clocking in at seven in the morning and not leaving until seven at night. On a Saturday in early June, he found himself at the Casa da Vacina—the city's vaccination center—getting a flu shot. It was a trip he couldn't have made on a weekday. "My time is really tight," he said. "Working those hours, it's complicated during the week."
The vaccination center had opened its doors on Saturday mornings specifically for people like him. From nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, the Casa da Vacina on Joaquim Nabuco Street in the city center would be available to anyone who couldn't get there between the regular weekday hours of seven-thirty in the morning and seven at night. The center planned to stay open on Saturday mornings for the next three weekends as well—June 13th, 20th, and 27th. The reasoning behind the extended hours was straightforward: reducing the crush of sick people at the city's emergency care units. When people get the flu vaccine, they're less likely to end up in an emergency room later, which means those units have more capacity for actual emergencies.
At 46 years old, Jorge understood the math. "It's really important to get vaccinated because it takes pressure off the emergency units, which get packed with people who have the flu," he explained. He wasn't alone in recognizing the value. Francine Tamine da Silva, a 32-year-old financial assistant from the Jardim Mauá neighborhood, also came in that Saturday morning. She brought her two-year-old son, Heitor Salles. "I get vaccinated every year to protect myself and protect my son, and also to show him that he needs it," she said. "The vaccine is prevention. It helps us and it helps others too, because hospitals end up getting so full."
Francine had waited to bring Heitor until he recovered from a fever. That timing mattered. According to Renata Reis Alves, the coordinator of the Casa da Vacina, having a cold or mild respiratory symptoms is not a reason to skip the vaccine. The only real contraindication is a fever. "People ask me all the time if antibiotics or alcohol will interfere with the vaccine, but those are myths," Alves said. "The only thing in our technical guidelines that prevents vaccination is if you have a fever."
The expanded weekend hours came at a moment when the vaccination campaign itself was expanding. Until Tuesday, June 2nd, the flu vaccine had been reserved for priority groups: pregnant women, elderly people, and children between six months and six years old, among others. Starting that week, anyone over six months old could get vaccinated. But even with that broader access, state health officials were clear that municipalities needed to keep doses in reserve for the priority groups. The goal was to reach ninety percent coverage among those vulnerable populations—a target that remained out of reach as the campaign moved forward. Weekend hours were one tool to push those numbers higher, removing the barrier of time for working people who wanted to protect themselves and their families.
Citas Notables
Working those hours, it's complicated during the week— Jorge dos Santos de Jesus, 46, industrial manager
The vaccine is prevention. It helps us and it helps others too, because hospitals end up getting so full— Francine Tamine da Silva, 32, financial assistant
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a shoe factory worker's schedule matter so much to a public health campaign?
Because if people can't access the vaccine when they work twelve-hour days, they don't get vaccinated. And if they don't get vaccinated, they end up in the emergency room sick, which overwhelms the system for everyone else.
So this is really about managing hospital capacity, not just individual protection?
It's both. But yes—the emergency units were drowning in flu cases. Opening on Saturday mornings removes one excuse. It says: we understand your life doesn't fit a nine-to-five schedule.
The coordinator mentioned myths about antibiotics and alcohol. Why do people believe those?
Uncertainty. When you don't understand how something works, you fill in the gaps with what sounds plausible. A vaccine is a medical intervention, so people assume other medical things might interfere with it.
And the priority groups—pregnant women, elderly people, young children—they still need to reach ninety percent coverage?
Yes. Even though the vaccine is now open to everyone, the state is saying: don't forget who's most vulnerable. Make sure they're protected first.
What does a two-year-old understand about his mother getting vaccinated?
Maybe nothing yet. But Francine was teaching him something: that you take care of yourself so you can take care of others. That's the real message underneath all of this.