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COVID-19 vaccine becomes mandatory in Ecuador for everyone age five and up

On Thursday, the South American country of Ecuador became the first country to make coronavirus vaccines obligatory for children as young as five, following the arrival of the Omicron variant in the South American country.

“In Ecuador, vaccination against Covid-19 is declared compulsory,” the health ministry said in a statement. “Compulsory vaccination applies to persons five years and older,” the ministry told AFP.

Approximately 69 percent of Ecuador’s population of 17.7 million people have received two vaccine doses to date, and 900,000 have received a third, booster dose. Everyone from the age of five is eligible to be vaccinated.

Ecuador has registered nearly 540,000 coronavirus cases to date, and 33,600 deaths. People with medical reasons for not getting the vaccine will be exempt from the mandatory jab, the ministry noted. It added the decision was founded in Ecuador’s constitution, in which the right to health must be guaranteed by the State.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH 

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: NEW YORK TIMES

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Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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