Mandatory vaccination is not discussion ″ adjusted ″ in Portugal
Brussels admits debate on mandatory covid-19 vaccines. Immunologist says it is not justified on national territory.
The evolution of the number of occurred cases and the appearance of the new variant, an omicron, are motivating several alerts from Brussels. On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, admitted to the discussion about mandatory vaccination within the European Union. However, the leader of the community executive reinforced that the decision is “a competence of the member states”. In Portugal, the immunologist Luís Graça defended that a discussion “is not adjusted”, taking into account a “great adherence” to vaccines. At least 86% of the Portuguese population has the complete vaccination schedule, according to the latest weekly report from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).
With 150 million European citizens unvaccinated and more than five million deaths in the European Union due to covid-19, Von der Leyen said it is “understandable and appropriate” to lead the discussion on mandatory vaccination. “This needs a common approach, but it’s a discussion that I think needs to be conducted,” he added.