Vaccine for children will be distributed in the 2nd half of January, says Queiroga

Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said that vaccines against Covid for children should be distributed to the states in the second half of January.

“In the second fortnight they begin to arrive and will be distributed as we have been distributed,” he said in a conversation with journalists on Monday (3).

According to members of the Ministry of Health, the vaccines start arriving from January 10th, but they need to go through the security process before being distributed. There is still no set schedule.

In a recent note, the folder said it was in favor of vaccinating this public. However, he stressed that the decision depends on the outcome of the public consultation that is in progress.

“On January 5, after listening to the society, the folder will formalize its decision and, maintaining the recommendation, the immunization of this age group should start in January”, says the statement.

The intention of the folder is to recommend that children aged 5 to 11 years are vaccinated against Covid-19, provided that upon presentation of a medical prescription and parental consent.

According to the Minister of Health, the final decision will be taken by the parents, a practice that already takes place today. “Parents are free to take their children to receive this vaccine,” he said at a press conference.

The date coincides with the deadline established by Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), for the government to provide information on childhood vaccinations. Lewandowski is the rapporteur of a PT request related to the subject.

The extraordinary secretary for coping with Covid-19, Rosana Leite de Melo, stated in a technical note sent to the Supreme Court that the vaccine against Covid-19 developed for children is safe, that the immunizing agent is a protection tool and that vaccination will alleviate interruptions of classes in the pandemic.

“Before recommending vaccination [contra a] Covid-19 for children, scientists have carried out clinical trials with thousands of children and no serious safety concerns have been identified,” said the secretary in a technical note completed on the 19th.

The position of Melo, who is part of Queiroga’s team, contradicts questions about the safety of the vaccine made by the minister and especially by president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).