RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After initial diversionary maneuvers by the Uruguayan government, the Department of Public Health shared, as promised, Secretary Daniel Salinas’ responses to Judge Recarey’s questions about the Covid-19 vaccine. The Secretary submitted his answers in writing.
Today, Thursday, the hearing will continue on the appeal of attorney Maximiliano Dentone, who wants to stop the Covid vaccination for children under 13. The judge ruled that Salinas should testify and answer 18 questions about the vaccination.
Asked if he was aware of international reports of deaths and side effects related to vaccines administered in Uruguay, Salinas acknowledged that he was aware of such reports, but reiterated that “no deaths have been recorded in Uruguay as a result of vaccination.”
Regarding children and possible side effects, the minister assured that no “autoimmunity phenomena” related to vaccination have been observed in children between the ages of 5 and 11.
Salinas was also asked if the Uruguayan state had conducted independent studies to verify the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, to which the minister replied in the affirmative, adding that the results of this surveillance – which include vaccine efficacy, prevention of infections, and SARS-Cov-2 severity and mortality – were available on the ministry’s website.
He added that two vaccine safety surveillance strategies are used in Uruguay, one of which is spontaneous and includes the follow-up of reported cases in terms of severity or medical control, and another of which is the “surveillance of the alleged attributable adverse effect of vaccination and immunization (SAIVE)” in children aged 5 to 11 years, whose vaccination campaign began on January 12, “to increase the possibility of detecting possible cases.
Among other questions, the judge asked about the severity of the disease in children, to which the minister replied that 15% of infections occur in children, and although they pass the disease with mild severity, cases can be complicated in children with comorbidities or in children or adolescents with “prolonged covid”.
“The Ministry of Public Health knows exactly the composition of the vaccines against Covid-19 administered in Uruguay,” Salinas answered when asked about the composition of the vaccines, mentioning in relation to their characteristics that each of them exceeds “the 50% efficacy required by the World Health Organization.”
With information from El Observador
Here is the full text of the answers in Spanish
Here is the AI English translation of the full text of the answers