Rio starts vaccinating the youngest against COVID-19

In Rio de Janeiro state, Health authorities began vaccinating young people between the ages of 12 and 18 on Thursday. High-school-age girls were the first group to receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Museum of the Republic, in Rio's southern zone. Dozens of students began receiving doses on Thursday and nurses and health officials say they expect to distribute thousands of doses over the coming days.

Public health officials are especially concerned with the spread of COVID-19 in schools, which have now opened, and say they will prioritize getting as many students vaccinated as possible by the end of August to prevent outbreaks in classrooms. Over 70% of all residents in Rio de Janeiro have received at least one dose of a vaccine.