LISBON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese Health Directorate on Tuesday recommended that adolescents aged 12 to 15 be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Portugal's Director-General of Health Graca Freitas said the decision was taken after analyzing "new data made available in recent days," referring to "more than 15 million adolescents vaccinated in the United States and the European Union."
Luis Graca, a member of the technical commission on COVID-19 vaccination, said that the move aims to "reduce the transmission of the virus" and ensure the "well-being of young people."
Prime Minister Antonio Costa said science has "confirmed that it is possible to fulfill the duty to guarantee universal protection for all children over 12."
"Everything is in place to guarantee the administration of two doses of vaccines until the beginning of the school year. Vaccines have been purchased, logistics have been set up, and the schedule has been set ..." he wrote on Twitter.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 990,293 cases of infection have been reported in Portugal and 17,502 people have died from the disease.
Over 60.9 percent of the country's population have been fully vaccinated, according to the health authorities. Enditem
