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- BBC News World
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Image source, Getty Images
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The decision makes Costa Rica the first country to oblige children between the ages of 5 and 11 to be vaccinated.
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Costa Rica became the first country in the world this Friday to force children to be vaccinated against covid-19.
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The injection will join the long list of basic childhood vaccines that are required by law, health authorities announced.
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The government of the Central American country signed an agreement with Pfizer to acquire doses to begin the vaccination of all those under 12 years of age as of March 2022.
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This same week, US regulatory bodies approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
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Most children are unlikely to get seriously ill if they get COVID-19, but they can still be contagious, even if they don’t have symptoms.
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The vaccine can prevent them from spreading the virus to others.
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Image source, Reuters
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The Costa Rican government signed an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 3.5 million doses.
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Costa Rica’s agreement with Pfizer contemplates that the country receive 3.5 million doses, of which 1.5 million will be reserved for children from 5 to 11 years old.
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The other vaccines will be destined to third doses for health personnel, the elderly and those with immunodeficiencies.
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To date, about 55% of eligible individuals have received the complete guideline, according to figures from Our World in Data.
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More than 70% of those between 12 and 19 years old have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the data that the authorities have.
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The US decision to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 cleared the way for 28 million young Americans to get vaccinated. They receive an injection with a third of the dose that is given to adults.
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Officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that the vaccine is about 91% effective in preventing covid-19 in young children and that their immune response is comparable to that seen in people aged 16 to 25 years.
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