Costa Rica makes under 18s vax compulsory

The COVID-19 vaccine will be mandatory for minors in Costa Rica, joining a list of other jabs that protect against viruses like chickenpox and polio.

The vaccine will be compulsory for everyone under 18, the Health Ministry in the Central American country announced on Friday.

Parents and guardians, as well as various government agencies, are urged to act to ensure that children and teens receive their inoculation within “a timely manner,” a statement said.

The last vaccine made mandatory for children was for the human papillomavirus (HPV) in 2017.

In Costa Rica, 73 per cent of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 have already received at least one dose of one of the two coronavirus vaccines licensed there, according to government data.

Overall, about 54 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

The goal is for children under 12 to start being vaccinated in the coming year, the Health Ministry said.