Covid-19 vaccine for children becomes mandatory

From this Monday (1st), the Covid-19 vaccine for children will become mandatory. Last October, the Ministry of Health included the vaccine in the National Immunization Program (PNI) and established that babies aged six months and older must be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus. The government also reported that the vaccine must be remodeled every year, as happens with flu vaccines.

According to the Ministry of Health, in 2024, the focus will be on the public aged 6 months to 5 years. Children in this age group must receive three doses, the first being administered at six months, the second at seven months and the third at nine months. From the age of 5, only children who are part of the priority group will receive a booster dose, including those with comorbidities and permanent disabilities.

A People’s Gazette has already shown that the Ministry of Health’s decision to require the immunization of babies and children against Covid-19 goes in the opposite direction to what the scientific evidence points to. There is no consensus on the need for vaccination against the disease in children, as they are considered a low-risk group.

Parents who do not vaccinate their children may lose social benefits, such as Bolsa Família, or even be penalized by paying a fine.

In the Chamber of Deputies, a bill that provides for up to a year of detention for parents who do not vaccinate their children advanced in 2023. In the Senate, proposals with even greater punishments are also being discussed. The texts gain more strength with the interest of pharmaceutical companies that invest to directly influence parliamentarians.