FILE PHOTO: A man waits outside a mobile vaccination centre to receive a dose of Sinovac's CoronaVac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in Santiago, Chile May 24, 2021. The sign reads ''I get vaccinated". REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo
The Chilean government began vaccinating children ages 6 to 11 as it moves forward with one of the most advanced Covid-19 prevention campaigns in Latin America.
Children will get shots made by Sinovac Biotech Ltd following Chile’s approval for emergency use earlier this month. The government will begin giving shots in schools, and Health Undersecretary Paula Daza attended a ceremony in Santiago to mark the beginning of the vaccination campaign.
Previously, only Pfizer Inc. had approval in Chile to use its vaccine on people 12 to 17 years old. Chile’s move comes as questions emerge about the efficacy of inactivated shots like Sinovac’s with studies finding they produce fewer antibodies than mRNA vaccines like the one made by Pfizer.
Chile has administered 31.5 million vaccine doses covering 82.4% of its 19 million residents, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. In Latin America, only Uruguay has vaccinated a higher percentage of its population.
End of Curfews
The Chilean government will also end Sept. 30 the state of exception implemented in March 2020 that allowed it to impose curfews throughout the country, President Sebastian Pinera said in a televised speech.
It also eased mobility restrictions, increasing the number of people allowed in restaurants and cinemas.
"Given the progress in the fight against the pandemic and to increase citizens’ freedom and mobility, the recovery of employment and the economy, we have decided not to renew the state of exception,” Pinera said.
