Brazil to vaccinate kids, stops short of demanding scripts

Brazilian health officials have announced that vaccination of children between the ages of 5 and 11 will begin in January, without the demand for prescriptions from doctors the government had previously signaled

BRASILIA, Brazil -- Vaccination of Brazilian children between the ages of 5 and 11 will begin in January, without the demand for prescriptions from doctors the government had previously signaled, officials from the health ministry announced Wednesday.

The government’s guidelines come almost three weeks after the health regulator authorized use of Pfizer’s shot for children, setting off backlash from none other than President Jair Bolsonaro. After sowing doubt about the efficacy of the vaccine and refusing to be vaccinated himself last year, in recent weeks the president staked out a position opposing vaccines for kids and warning of possible side effects.

A study released in late December by U.S. health authorities confirmed that serious side effects of the Pfizer vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 are rare. The results were based on approximately 8 million doses dispensed to youngsters in this age group.

Taking a cue from Bolsonaro, his health ministry last month published an online questionnaire about the issue, and some of the president’s supporters also leery of the vaccine actively engaged on messaging apps trying to pressure people to swing the results.