Bolsonaro emphasizes that his daughter will not be vaccinated against COVID-19

The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, assured this Monday that his daughter will not be vaccinated against COVID-19, an issue that for the far-right leader generates “many doubts” and that has set off the alarms of the Justice in the country due to the obstacles that the Government has placed to immunize minors.

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“I hope there is no interference from the law, I hope so, because my daughter is not going to be vaccinated. Let it be clear. He is 11 years old, ”emphasized the Brazilian president when he arrived in the municipality of San Francisco do Sul, in the state of Santa Catarina (south), where he will spend the New Year.

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Bolsonaro himself has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 either and on other occasions he has said that he will be the last Brazilian to do so.

Vaccination for children between 5 and 11 years of age was endorsed by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa, regulator) on December 16, when its technicians approved the immunizer developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer for those ages.

Despite the approval of the regulator, the Ministry of Health did not want to include minors immediately in the national immunization plan against COVID-19 and said it would make its decision known at the beginning of January.

In the opinion of the head of that portfolio, Marcelo Queiroga, “there is no rush” to vaccinate children, not even at a time when the omicron variant begins to expand in the country.

According to the minister, the death of minors due to COVID-19 in Brazil is at “acceptable levels”, which has generated deep indignation in medical associations, which have already registered some 2,500 deaths of children under 11 years of age due to the virus.

The intention of the ministry is to recommend the vaccine for minors in this age group, without making it mandatory, but conditional on the presentation of a medical prescription and a consent signed by the parents.

These obstacles set off alarms in the Supreme Court, which last Friday demanded explanations from the Ministry of Health and gave Queiroga five days to explain those requirements.

So far, the national immunization plan only approves vaccination against COVID for people over 12 years of age.

Advances in immunization in the South American giant, where 67% of its 213 million inhabitants already have the complete vaccination scheme, have drastically decreased deaths and infections by the virus since June in the country.

Along with the United States and India, the South American nation is one of the worst hit by the pandemic, with more than 618,000 fatalities and 22.2 million people infected with the virus.

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Deshawn