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.