Vaccination of children to start in January, says Ministry

The Ministry of Health informed on Monday (Dec. 27) that the vaccination of children from 5 to 11 years old against covid-19 should start in January, 2022. This age group shall be included in the National Plan for Immunization, the publication says.

According to the ministry, its position in favor of vaccination among children in this age group shall be formalized on January 5, after the deadline for the public consultation on the issue, in case the recommendation is maintained.

“The Ministry of Health’s recommendation is for the inclusion of children between 5 and 11 years old in the National Plan for Vaccination against COVID-19, according to the official Ministry´s position published on December 23, and publicly reinforced by the Health Minister”, the text says.

On December 16, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) approved the use of the vaccine produced by the Pfizer-BioNTech consortium in children aged 5 to 11 years.

As a consequence, opposition parties appealed to the Supreme Court (STF) to force the immediate inclusion of the age group in the immunization program. Upon analyzing the petition, Minister Ricardo Lewandowski determined that the government should manifest itself on the legal process by January 5.

Doctors in favor of vaccination

In a statement, the Brazilian Medical Association (AMB) defended the vaccination of children. According to the entity, Anvisa’s authorization follows the same safety and efficacy criteria for other age groups. Furthermore, this measure reduces the transmission of the virus, the text reads.

“We highlight that children can also be affected by the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome associated with SARS-Cov-2; develop long sequels and covid. Therefore, vaccination is essential to reduce/avoid suffering, hospitalizations and deaths”, AMB declared.