COVID-19: Public consultation on vaccination of children to start Wed

Brazil’s Ministry of Health today (Dec. 22) officially unveiled a public consultation on society’s opinion regarding the vaccination of children aged five through 11 against COVID-19. The Pfizer shot has been recently authorized for this age group by the country’s drug regulator Anvisa. The consultation kicks off tomorrow (23) and should end on January 2, 2022.

Protection

Following the approval of the inoculation for children, Anvisa officials reported a large number of death threats. As a result, the agency filed a request for inquiry and police protection for agents under threat.

According to Brazil’s Office of the Prosecutor-General (PGR), federal prosecutors in the Federal District and Paraná state are working on the case, with support from the Federal Police.

The prosecutors, the office went on to report, are yet to detect the involvement of people judicially shielded by their posts, which would bring the case up to a higher instance—the PGR itself.

Decision

On a live transmission broadcast December 16 on his social media, President Jair Bolsonaro said he asked for “the names of the people who approved the vaccine for children aged five and older.” “We want to disclose these people’s names so that everyone knows who these people are and can have an opinion,” the president declared.

On December 18, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga stated that the government’s decision on the vaccination of 5–11-year-olds will be made on January 5, after hearings and public consultations. During talks with journalists, Queiroga said that Anvisa’s authorization is not enough to effectively bring vaccination to this public.

“The introduction of this product under a public policy requires in-depth analysis. In the case of vaccines, the technical analysis is carried out with the support of the Technical Advisory Chamber for Immunization,” Queiroga said.