Costa Rican children aged five and above are required to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a new health ministry order, making the Central American country one of the first to do so.
The action would add COVID-19 to a long list of contagious diseases for which children have needed immunizations for years, including polio and smallpox.
“Our basic vaccination program has enabled us to tame many of the viruses that cause suffering, health repercussions, and even fatalities in the underage population,” Health Minister Daniel Salas said in a statement on Friday, announcing the inclusion of COVID-19 to the system.
Coronavirus infection rates in Costa Rica have been trending down recently, with confirmed COVID-19 deaths totaling more than 7,000, according to official data, out of a population of around 5.1 million.
So far, nearly three-quarters of the country’s 12 to 19-year-olds have received at least one vaccine dose, while about 54% of all Costa Ricans have been fully vaccinated.
