Rio de Janeiro's homeless receive COVID-19 vaccines

Río de Janeiro's health authorities started a COVID-19 vaccination campaign for homeless people on Thursday. They're aiming to prioritize the homeless for vaccines, alongside those over 60 years of age and frontline workers. Health workers began administering the vaccines to people identified by social workers and activists in the city as homeless. Authorities hope the initiative will minimize the spread of the virus among a population with little access to health care.

So far, 30.5% of the coastal city's residents have been vaccinated, according to city health officials, who hope to reach 90% by next August. According to municipal officials, reaching that figure will depend on vaccine supplies, a problem that has hindered the inoculation program from the beginning. Almost 3 million out of 6.7 million residents have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, with nearly 1 million fully vaccinated with two doses.