President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised Brazil’s well being regulator Anvisa for authorising the vaccination of youngsters aged 5 to 11 years towards Covid-19, Reuters stories, at some point after his well being minister unveiled plans to inoculate that age group.
Vaccine skeptic Bolsonaro mentioned in a radio interview on Thursday that he had not heard of youngsters dying of Covid-19 and repeated that his daughter Laura, 11, wouldn’t be vaccinated. Bolsonaro mentioned vaccines may have uncomfortable side effects on youngsters, however gave no proof.
Anvisa and well being regulators all over the world have discovered that Covid-19 vaccines are secure from age 5 and up.
“Are you going to vaccinate your little one when the opportunity of dying is sort of zero? What’s behind this? What are the pursuits of vaccine maniacs?” Bolsonaro acknowledged.
The Ministry of Well being introduced on Wednesday that it had purchased 20 million pediatric vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc and voluntary vaccination of youngsters 5 to 11 years outdated will start by the tip of the month.
Bolsonaro’s feedback got here because the Well being Ministry reported 35,826 new circumstances of coronavirus prior to now 24 hours, the very best day by day variety of infections since September, and 128 deaths from Covid.
In a social media broadcast afterward Thursday, Bolsonaro confused that the vaccination was optional. “No city mayor or state governor can forestall a toddler from going to high school for not being vaccinated,” he mentioned.
Bolsonaro warned that Pfizer has not assumed accountability for any uncomfortable side effects the vaccine may have in youngsters, and mentioned dad and mom ought to instantly search a health care provider if their little one developed chest pains or scarcity of breath.
Anvisa authorized the Pfizer vaccine for kids on 16 December, drawing heated criticism from folks against vaccines and the president, who steered that youngsters solely be vaccinated with a health care provider’s prescription.
The ministry dropped the thought as impractical. Requiring a written prescription would discourage vaccination at a time when the extra transmissible coronavirus variant Omicron is beginning to unfold in Brazil, well being specialists mentioned at a public listening to.
In response to the nationwide council of state well being secretaries at the least 300 youngsters aged 5 to 11 had died in Brazil from Covid-19 by the beginning of December.
Brazil’s military differed from the president this week on find out how to cope with Covid-19. It ordered troopers to get vaccinated, put on masks and preserve social distance, and warned them towards spreading false information in regards to the pandemic.