Chile begins vaccinating young children with Sinovac vaccine
The Chilean government began vaccinating children ages six 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 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 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.