Brazil to vaccinate kids, stops short of demanding scripts

By DÉBORA ÁLVARES
Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — 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. 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.