President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised Brazil’s well being regulator Anvisa for authorising the vaccination of kids aged 5 to 11 years towards Covid-19, Reuters studies, sooner or later after his well being minister unveiled plans to inoculate that age group.
Vaccine skeptic Bolsonaro stated in a radio interview on Thursday that he had not heard of kids dying of Covid-19 and repeated that his daughter Laura, 11, wouldn’t be vaccinated. Bolsonaro stated vaccines might have unwanted effects on kids, however gave no proof.
Anvisa and well being regulators world wide have discovered that Covid-19 vaccines are protected from age 5 and up.
“Are you going to vaccinate your baby when the potential of dying is nearly zero? What’s behind this? What are the pursuits of vaccine maniacs?” Bolsonaro said.
The Ministry of Well being introduced on Wednesday that it had purchased 20 million pediatric vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc and voluntary vaccination of kids 5 to 11 years outdated will start by the tip of the month.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 best each day variety of infections since September, and 128 deaths from Covid.
In a social media broadcast afterward Thursday, Bolsonaro confused that the vaccination was non-compulsory. “No city mayor or state governor can forestall a baby from going to high school for not being vaccinated,” he stated.
Bolsonaro warned that Pfizer has not assumed duty for any unwanted effects the vaccine might have in kids, and stated mother and father ought to instantly search a health care provider if their baby 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 recommended that kids 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 consultants stated at a public listening to.
In accordance with the nationwide council of state well being secretaries at the very least 300 kids 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 the right way to cope with Covid-19. It ordered troopers to get vaccinated, put on masks and keep social distance, and warned them towards spreading false information concerning the pandemic.