Tue Nov 9, 2021 – 4:13 pm EST
SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (LifeSiteNews) — Costa Rica became the first country in the world to make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for everyone under age 18.
The Costa Rican Health Ministry announced the decision in a statement released Friday, November 5, and said the aim of the mandate was to “safeguard the best interests of the children.”
It also stated that “the parents or legal guardians are legally responsible for ensuring that the mandatory vaccination of minors is carried out in a timely manner.”
In addition, the statement indicated that teenagers age 15 or over will be able to receive the vaccine against COVID-19 without having to be accompanied by an adult.
The decision came only a week after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its approval to administering Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children age 5-11 despite limited safety data and all but-nonexistent need. The approval, which was requested by Pfizer less than a month earlier, was since endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The Costa Rican government cited the FDA approval in its statement and said it expects to start vaccinating children age 12 and younger as early as 2022.
Costa Rica closed a deal with Pfizer for the purchase of 3.5 million vaccine doses, of which 1.5 million will be used for children age 5-11.
According to the statement by the Health Ministry, 73% of all
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