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The Andean country becomes the first nation in Latin America to impose the vaccination of its inhabitants as a law, among other measures, to contain the increase in cases and the threat of new variants such as Ómicron, which is ravaging other latitudes.
An urgent measure. The Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, SMP, declared this Thursday, December 23, the obligatory nature of vaccination against Covid-19 in the face of the increase in cases registered during the last hours.
The health authority justified the measure in the Organic Health Law, which refers to the mandatory nature of immunizations against certain diseases, according to the conditions that the epidemiological reality of the country requires.
This decision was made due to the current epidemiological status, that is, “the increase in infections and the circulation of new variants of ‘concern’, such as Ómicron,” the official statement indicates.
The statement cites that the decision “obeys the international trend that shows the rapidity of contagion and the pressure on health services that have high demand for hospitalization.”
In the last hours, Ecuador reported an increase of 467 infected with Covid-19, as well as an increase in the occupancy of ICU beds that ranges between 24% and 77%, according to local media.
Ecuador’s Special Operations Committee, which leads health policies to combat the pandemic, ordered that people must show vaccination certificates to access places such as restaurants, cinemas and other public areas.
The Minister of Health Ximena Garzón has just announced that vaccination against COVID-19 in Ecuador is MANDATORY.
– Tania Tinoco (@tinocotania) December 23, 2021
“We have declared mandatory for the Covid-19 vaccine precisely because we want to protect the health of all citizens,” Ximena Garzón, Minister of Health, told local television.
In Ecuador, 77% of the 17.3 million inhabitants have been vaccinated, while 920,000 people have received a booster vaccine. The vaccine will not be mandatory for people with any special condition or contraindication.
The Andean country becomes the first nation in Latin America to establish a mandatory vaccine against Covid-19. The official measure is based on Article 83.7 of the Constitution, which imposes as “the duty of Ecuadorians to promote the common good and put the general interest before the particular interest.”
The Ecuadorian government cited European examples such as “Germany, Austria and Greece” that imposed similar measures in early 2022.
According to the authorities, the new rebound is due to several recent holidays in the country, such as the Day of the Dead, the Independence of Cuenca and by the Quito Foundation.
As of this Thursday, it is necessary to show the vaccination card or certificate with a complete two-dose schedule for all those over 12 years of age who participate in non-essential activities, that is, those that are not work, health and education.
On Wednesday, Ecuador registered 819 new positives for Covid-19 and a total of 539,037 cases of the disease during the pandemic, while the number of deaths rose to 33,634 in total.
With EFE and AP
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