Early Post-discharge Telephone Follow-Up in a Psychiatric ED: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Strengthen Care Transitions and Patient Engagement.

The emergence of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus in Wuhan, China, which is highly transmissible and lethal, led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in 2020 due to its rapid spread. As of August 18, 2025, Brazil had recorded 39,300,196 cases and 716,569 deaths, ranking among the countries with the highest infection and mortality rates from COVID-19. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, were the most affected. Although measures such as the use of personal protective equipment and social isolation have been essential, vaccination has proven to be an effective strategy for controlling the pandemic and protecting healthcare professionals. Since these professionals work directly with infected people, they were prioritized for vaccination. In Brazil, initially, the CoronaVac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Janssen vaccines were used, with a positive impact on reducing hospitalizations and deaths. As new variants emerged, the vaccines were updated. In 2023, a bivalent vaccine targeting the original strain and the Omicron variant was recommended. In 2024, an updated vaccine was recommended in response to the XBB 1.5 variant, especially for healthcare professionals. In 2025, the vaccination schedule began to include an annual booster dose with mRNA vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer, and Serum/Zalika).