Brazil to give all adults Covid-19 booster shots

Brasilia, Nov 17 All Brazil aged above 18 will be eligible to get booster shots against Covid-19, Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said.

"Thanks to the information we have from scientific studies, we have decided to extend the booster shot to everyone over 18 years of age who received the second dose five months ago," said Queiroga.

Prior to the announcement, only people aged over 60 or with a weakened immune system and healthcare workers were eligible to get booster shots, Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 12.4 million Brazil are eligible to receive a booster shot, according to data from the Health Ministry.

As of Tuesday, the ministry reported a total of 21,965,684 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 611,478 deaths from the disease since the onset of the pandemic in the country.