The Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, said this Thursday night (Dec 23) that, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Health to be placed in public consultation – which was scheduled to start this day before Christmas -, the application of the vaccine Pfizer in children ages 5 to 11 is contingent on parental signing of a free and informed consent form and a doctor’s prescription. The statement was given at a press conference at the Ministry of Health.
“We pledged to air today the terms of the ministry’s recommendation. What will be put in public consultation is the ministry’s recommendation, to hear society’s opinion, then we will hold a public hearing, calling experts to discuss this matter at a high level and achieve a position that Brazilian society can contribute and that we have a lot transparency in this process”, said Queiroga.
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Also according to the minister, children constitute “a sensitive public”. “And the data, at least from the main study, that supported these approvals [da vacina para esse público], are still initial data. So, given the sensitivity of the case, our understanding is very similar to what happens in Germany, where there is medical recommendation, where cases that have comorbidities are covered, and the parents’ decision is respected”, he added.
The government predicts that, if the public consultation supports its recommendation, the application of the Pfizer vaccine in children will be approved by the Ministry of Health on January 5th. The Executive also guarantees that, once approved, the beginning of vaccination for the public from 5 to 11 years old would start in a “very short” period. The idea of the health portfolio is also to include children with comorbidities as a priority in the campaign.
